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Willis Van Dusen | |
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Mayor of Astoria, Oregon | |
In office 1991–2014 | |
Succeeded by | Arline LaMear |
Personal details | |
Born | 1952/1953(age 69–70) [1] |
Profession | businessman,politician |
Willis L. Van Dusen (born 1952 or 1953) is a businessman and former politician in Astoria,Oregon,United States,who served as mayor of Astoria from 1991 through 2014. [2] Originally elected to the city council in 1985,Willis served as a councillor for six years before being elected mayor. He took the oath of office in January 1991[ citation needed ] and was re-elected every four years since that time,most recently re-elected in 2010. [3] [ failed verification ] In 2014,he announced that he had decided to retire at the end of his term and not run for reelection again. [2] He was succeeded by Arline LaMear,who was sworn in as mayor on January 5,2015. [4]
Willis Van Dusen has very close roots to Astoria and is one in a long line of Van Dusens to represent the City of Astoria. In the 1850s,future President Ulysses S. Grant visited Van Dusen's ancestor,Adam Van Dusen,when he came to Astoria. More recently,Willis Van Dusen greeted former President Bill Clinton who visited Astoria in May 2008 while campaigning for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries. [5]
In addition to serving as Mayor of Astoria,Willis Van Dusen owns a local soft-drink bottling franchise,Van Dusen Beverages. Van Dusen is a graduate of Astoria High School's Class of 1971 and earned a degree in business from the University of Oregon in 1975. [3] [ failed verification ]
Shortly after he was elected mayor,Willis Van Dusen appeared in the movie Free Willy ,which was filmed in Astoria in 1993. He played the role of "Fish Vendor." [6]
Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County,Oregon,United States. Founded in 1811,Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corner of Oregon,and Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River,where the river flows into the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor,an investor and entrepreneur from New York City,whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early 19th century. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20,1856.
The Pacific Fur Company (PFC) was an American fur trade venture wholly owned and funded by John Jacob Astor that functioned from 1810 to 1813. It was based in the Pacific Northwest,an area contested over the decades among the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,the Spanish Empire,the United States of America and the Russian Empire.
Fort Astoria was the primary fur trading post of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company (PFC). A maritime contingent of PFC staff was sent on board the Tonquin,while another party traveled overland from St. Louis. This land based group later became known as the Astor Expedition. Built at the entrance of the Columbia River in 1811,Fort Astoria was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast of North America.
The Captain George Conrad Flavel House is a house built in 1901 in Astoria,Oregon. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Battle of Woody Point was an incident in western Canada in June 1811 involving the Tla-o-qui-aht natives of the Pacific Northwest and the Tonquin,an American merchant ship of the Astor Expedition. The vessel had traveled to Clayoquot Sound off Vancouver Island to trade for furs. Following an argument begun during the bartering,the Tla-o-qui-aht captured the vessel and massacred most of the crew;one remaining sailor then scuttled her by detonating the powder magazine.
The John Jacob Astor Hotel,originally known as the Hotel Astoria,is a historic former hotel building located in Astoria,Oregon,United States,and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is one of the tallest buildings on the Oregon Coast and is a "prominent landmark" in Astoria. Constructed in 1922–23,the hotel opened in 1924 and initially was the city's social and business hub,but soon was beset with a variety of problems,and struggled financially for years. It was renamed the John Jacob Astor Hotel in 1951,but a decline in business continued,as did other problems. The building was condemned by the city for safety violations in 1968 and sat vacant for several years until 1984,when work to renovate it and convert it for apartments began. It reopened as an apartment building in 1986,with the lowermost two floors reserved for commercial use. The building was listed on the NRHP in 1979. The world's first cable television system was set up in 1948 using an antenna on the roof of the Hotel Astoria.
The Astoria Riverfront Trolley is a 3-mile (4.8 km) heritage streetcar line that operates in Astoria,Oregon,United States,using former freight railroad tracks along or near the south bank of the Columbia River,with no overhead line. The service began operating in 1999,using a 1913-built streetcar from San Antonio,Texas. As of 2012,the service was reported as carrying 35,000 to 40,000 passengers per year and has been called a "symbol" and "icon" of Astoria. The line's operation is seasonal,normally during spring break and from May through September.
Joseph George Megler,generally known as J.G. Megler,was a German-American salmon cannery owner and politician in Washington. He was a member of the Washington House of Representatives for the first legislature in 1889 and five terms thereafter. He was also a member of the Washington State Senate for two terms.
W.H. Harrison was a steam schooner that operated from 1890 to 1905 on the coast of Oregon,the lower Columbia River,and southwest Washington state. At that time the salmon cannery industry was one of the major businesses of the coast. W.H. Harrison,while also carrying passengers and transporting general freight and lumber,was one of a number of steamers supplying materials to canneries along the coast,and transporting cases of canned salmon from the canneries.
The Columbia County Spotlight,previously known as the Scappoose Spotlight and the South County Spotlight,is a weekly newspaper in Columbia County,Oregon,United States,established in 1961.
Harvest Queen was the name of two stern-wheel steamboat built and operated in Oregon. Both vessels were well known in their day and had reputations for speed,power,and efficiency.The first Harvest Queen,widely considered one of the finest steamers of its day,was constructed at Celilo,Oregon,which was then separated from the other portions of the navigable Columbia River by two stretches of difficult to pass rapids.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Oregon on November 8,2016. Primary elections were held on May 17,2016.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon were held on Tuesday,November 6,2018,to elect the five U.S. representatives from the U.S. state of Oregon;one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The primaries were held on May 15,2018. The elections and primaries coincided with the elections and primaries of other federal and state offices.
William Vance Rinehart was an American soldier who served as a Union Army officer in both the 1st Oregon Volunteer Cavalry Regiment and 1st Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. He was later appointed as Indian agent at the Malheur Indian Reservation in eastern Oregon. Rinehart then moved to Seattle,Washington where he engaged in business and was active in state and local politics. He was elected to Washington state's first legislature,serving as a state senator from 1889 through 1890.
Governor Newell was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated from 1883 to 1902 in the Pacific Northwest.
Lucea Mason was a steamboat that operated from 1883 to 1891 on the Lewis,Columbia,and lower Willamette rivers. This vessel was occasionally referred to as the Lucia Mason. Lucea Mason was reported to have sunk a lot but nevertheless made a great deal of money for its owners.
Clara Cynthia Munson was an American politician who served as mayor of Warrenton,Oregon and was the first woman elected mayor in Oregon during the 20th century. Her term lasted one year (1913–14) before she was succeeded by George Schmitz.
Clara Parker was a sternwheel-driven steamboat which was operated on the lower Columbia and lower Willamette rivers in the 1880s. The steamer ran for about ten years out of Astoria,Oregon in towing and jobbing work. In 1890 Clara Parker was rebuilt and renamed Astorian.
Undine was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated from 1887 to 1935 on the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers. From 1935 to 1940 the same vessel was operated under the name The Dalles.
Ilwaco was a small riverine and coastal steamship built in 1890 which was operated as a passenger vessel for the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company,and later served in other roles,including tow and freight boat,cannery tender and fish packing vessel. Ilwaco was originally named Suomi.