The Port District Act is a law enacted by the Legislature

Washington State Legislature

The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...

 of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington in 1911, that enabled citizens to establish public port districts to develop and operate harbors and related transportation facilities.

The Act is part of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) as Title 53.

The first port district established under the new law was the Port of Seattle

Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle is a port district that runs Seattle's seaport and airport. Its creation was approved by the voters of King County, Washington, on September 5, 1911, authorized by the Port District Act. It is run by a five-member commission. The commissioners' terms run four years...

, with Hiram M. Chittenden

Hiram M. Chittenden

Hiram Martin Chittenden was the Seattle district engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers for whom the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, Washington, were named.-Early Life:...

, Robert Bridges, and Charles Remsberg as the first Port Commissioners. Also in 1911, the Port of Grays Harbor was established.