Mildred Schwab
Encyclopedia
Mildred Schwab was an attorney and politician from Portland
, Oregon
in the United States. She served as City Commissioner from 1973 to 1986; she was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Neil Goldschmidt
was elected mayor, and was reelected three times. Her brother, Herbert M. Schwab, served on the Oregon Court of Appeals
.
She was born to Jewish immigrants and grew up in northeast Portland, at the poor end of lower middle class.
She attend Grant High School and the Northwestern School of Business. She was one of the first women to study law, and graduated from Northwestern College of Law (at Lewis & Clark College) in 1939 and qualified for the Oregon Bar. She worked as a lawyer until her appointment to the Portland City Council January 1973.
In 1971, Portland still had two lunch spots closed to women. Schwab organized a sit-in at Perkins' Pub (in the basement of Lipman Wolfe) which succeeded in opening the establishment to women. She also was part of a small group who opened City Club of Portland
to women. She was the first woman nominated to be a Portland Rose Festival
ambassador (or Royal Rosarian), though she declined the honor.
Part of her time as city commissioner was in charge of the police and fire departments—Portland's equivalent of police commissioner
—for which she received great support.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States. She served as City Commissioner from 1973 to 1986; she was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Neil Goldschmidt
Neil Goldschmidt
Neil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
was elected mayor, and was reelected three times. Her brother, Herbert M. Schwab, served on the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
.
She was born to Jewish immigrants and grew up in northeast Portland, at the poor end of lower middle class.
She attend Grant High School and the Northwestern School of Business. She was one of the first women to study law, and graduated from Northwestern College of Law (at Lewis & Clark College) in 1939 and qualified for the Oregon Bar. She worked as a lawyer until her appointment to the Portland City Council January 1973.
In 1971, Portland still had two lunch spots closed to women. Schwab organized a sit-in at Perkins' Pub (in the basement of Lipman Wolfe) which succeeded in opening the establishment to women. She also was part of a small group who opened City Club of Portland
City Club of Portland
The City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization based in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was organized in 1916 by a small group of men who began meeting in a downtown Portland restaurant to discuss the city's public institutions and government...
to women. She was the first woman nominated to be a Portland Rose Festival
Portland Rose Festival
The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...
ambassador (or Royal Rosarian), though she declined the honor.
Part of her time as city commissioner was in charge of the police and fire departments—Portland's equivalent of police commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
—for which she received great support.