- Jim Purcell
“Diamond” Jim Purcell was the Chief of Police in Portland,
Oregon during the 1950s.Purcell was an associate of
Jim Elkins , a Portland mob boss, and helped protect Portland'spinball racket and other organized crime activity in the city. In this regard, Purcell was not unique among public servants in Portland, many of whom did business with the highly-influential Elkins.The character of
Diamond Joe Quimby , mayor of the fictional town of Springfield on the television show "The Simpsons ", created by Portland nativeMatt Groening , is loosely based on Purcell.Fact|date=April 2007References
* MacColl, E. Kimbark, "The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915 to 1950". Portland Georgian Press, 1979. ISBN 0-9603408-1-5
* Lansing, Jewell Beck, "Portland: people, politics and power, 1851-2001", Oregon State University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-87071-559-3
* Stanford, Phil, "Portland Confidential"
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