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Bud Clark

Not to be confused with Bud Clark (American football).

John Elwood "Bud" Clark Jr. (December 19, 1931 – February 1, 2022) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 48th mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 1985 to 1992. A left-leaning populist with little political experience before his mayoral bid, he was one of Portland's most colorful political figures.[1]

Bud Clark
Clark in 1988
48th Mayor of Portland, Oregon
In office
January 3, 1985 – December 31, 1992
Preceded byFrank Ivancie
Succeeded byVera Katz
Personal details
Born
John Elwood Clark Jr.

(1931-12-19)December 19, 1931
Nampa, Idaho, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 2022(2022-02-01) (aged 90)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sigrid Fehrenbacher
​
​
(m. 1964; died 2000)​
Children3
ProfessionRestaurateur, politician

Early life

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Clark was born in Nampa, Idaho, on December 19, 1931.[2] His family moved to La Grande, Oregon, and then to Portland when he was 6 years old.[1] He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949, then enlisted in the Marines and attended college at Vanport College (now Portland State University), Oregon State University, and Reed College where he dropped out in his junior year.[1][3] In 1967, he opened the Goose Hollow Inn tavern in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland. At that time, the neighborhood name was falling into disuse and Clark is now credited with keeping the Goose Hollow neighborhood identity alive.[4]

Clark was the raincoat-wearing model for a 1978 poster titled "Expose Yourself to Art",[5][6] in which he appeared to expose himself to a nude female public statue, Kvinneakt, in downtown Portland.[6][7]

Mayor of Portland

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Bud Clark (right) after performance of The Nutcracker with Oregon Ballet Theatre at Keller Auditorium, 1985.

In 1984, Clark ran for mayor when no other candidate would come forward to challenge Frank Ivancie.[8] He won in the primary, on May 15, 1984, with 54.7% of the vote.[9] Under Portland's rules for municipal elections, Clark's winning more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary meant that there would be no runoff election in the fall, and his name was the only name on the ballot in the November general election.[10] In view of this, he was already being referred to as "mayor-elect" well before November,[10][11][12] but was "officially" elected mayor on November 6, 1984.[13] His term began on January 2, 1985.[14] As mayor, he was recognized for his eccentricities. He commuted to work by bicycle, and was known for his distinctive cry of "Whoop, Whoop!"[1] His distinctive style led to an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in October 1984.[13]: 13 

In office, Clark found that Ivancie had reduced the city's reserves and budget.[15] As mayor, Clark created the nationally recognized 12-Point Homeless Plan, supported the growth of mass transit, including the MAX Light Rail line to Gresham, Oregon, aided downtown development, and initiated and led the campaign to build the Oregon Convention Center.[16][17]

Clark sanctioned The Mayor's Ball, an annual charity event featuring independent musicians from all over the Pacific Northwest.[18] The Mayor's Ball ended after the election of Vera Katz.[18] A spokesperson for then-Mayor Tom Potter, said that the event cost Clark's office $45,000 and also admitted that it also pulled in nearly $80,000.[18]

Clark was re-elected in 1988 after defeating 11 candidates in the primary and beating former Chief of Police Ron Still in the general.[15]

Due to $71,650 in campaign debt (mostly to U.S. Bank with a $52,000 lien against his personal home) from his 1988 campaign, Clark needed to raise money in 1991.[19][20][21] A $100-per-plate fundraising event ended up significantly undersold, and the "Oregon Political Party" fundraiser in the South Park Blocks actually lost money.[19][20][21][22]

Clark retired from public life and resumed his career as a tavern owner.[1] In 2011, he wrote the foreword to Portland's Goose Hollow, a book about the neighborhood's history.[4]

Personal life and death

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Clark speaking in front of the Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider equestrian statue in 2013

Clark married Sigrid Fehrenbacher in 1964 and they had three children.[15] Fehrenbacher died in 2000.[1]

Clark had a namesake in the Bud Clark Commons, "apartments for people experiencing chronic homelessness" located in Old Town[23] and completed in 2011.[24][25]

Clark died from congestive heart failure on February 1, 2022, in Portland, at the age of 90.[26][27][15] He was interred at River View Cemetery, in a natural burial.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Redden, Jim (August 21, 2007). "Still mayor to many". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  2. ^ Heinz, Spencer (December 29, 1983). "Owner of tavern first to enter mayoral race". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  3. ^ Cody, Robin (November 11, 1984). "Mayor Bud". The Oregonian.
  4. ^ a b Prince, Tracy J. (2011). Portland's Goose Hollow. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7385-7472-1. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Budnick, Nick; Buffaloe, John (March 9, 2005). "1978". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Expose Yourself to Art", The Story Archived October 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Michael Ryerson, Photographic Image Group. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  7. ^ Schrag, John (March 9, 2005). "This Bud's for you". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Dietrich, Bill (May 20, 1984). "'Whoop, whoop!' Portland's new mayor was no flasher in the pan". The Seattle Times, p. 1.
  9. ^ Ota, Alan K. (June 3, 1984). "1978 polling a cat's-paw for victor". The Sunday Oregonian. p. B1.
  10. ^ a b Kramer, Linda (September 13, 1984). "Clark actively seeking out public advice; Mayor-elect making rounds, taking pulse of neighborhoods". The Oregonian. p. B4.
  11. ^ Painter Jr., John (May 17, 1984). "Clark 'people' strategy credited with Ivancie ouster". The Oregonian. p. D3.
  12. ^ Ota, Alan K. (May 17, 1984). "Clark slipping into mayor-elect role". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  13. ^ a b Cody, Robin (November 11, 1984). "Mayor Bud [Sunday feature article]". The Sunday Oregonian. Northwest Magazine section, pp. 7–13.
  14. ^ Painter Jr., John (January 3, 1985). "Mayor Clark takes oath; new era begins". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  15. ^ a b c d e Lane, Dee (February 1, 2022). "Bud Clark, Portland's former 'citizen mayor', dies at 90". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "Portland, Oregon: Innovative Homeless Service Model at Bud Clark Commons". Huduser.gov. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Manning, Rob (February 1, 2022). "Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark, a tavern owner with an everyman style, dead at 90". OPB. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Busse, Phil (May 10, 2007). "Mayor Potter Drops the Ball". The Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Ellis, Barnes C. (September 22, 1991). "Clark Toasted, Roasted At Dinner". The Oregonian. p. C5.
  20. ^ a b Stanford, Phil (September 27, 1991). "Send Your $$$ To Bucks For Bud". The Oregonian. p. D1.
  21. ^ a b Stanford, Phil (September 25, 1991). "And Don't Forget The Magic Words". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  22. ^ Stanford, Phil (August 23, 1991). "Get Ready To Party Down, Dude". The Oregonian. p. C1.
  23. ^ Theriault, Denis (January 4, 2014). "The 911 Files: The Portland-Area Addresses that Keep Cops, Firefighters, and Paramedics Coming Back—Again and Again". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "Bud Clark Commons Creates Homes, Opportunities for Homeless". Portland Housing Bureau. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  25. ^ Hottle, Molly (May 21, 2012). "Northwest Portland's Bud Clark Commons receives national architecture award". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  26. ^ Barton, Randall S. (February 11, 2022). "Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark '58 Dies". Reed Magazine. Reed College. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark dead at 90". KATU. February 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
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Preceded by Mayor of Portland, Oregon
1985–1993 		Succeeded by
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