Larry Gossett

Larry Gossett (b. February 21, 1945Doug Merlino, [http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7393 Gossett, Larry (b. 1945)] , HistoryLink, July 23, 2005. Accessed online 27 April 2008.] ) is an American politician. As of 2008 he is a member of the King County Council, representing District 2 (portions of Seattle, Washington). He was first elected in 1993, [http://www.kingcounty.gov/Gossett/Biography.aspx King County Councilmember Larry Gossett] biography, County Council Website. Accessed online 27 April 2008.] and served as chair of the Council in 2007. [ [http://www.metrokc.gov/mkcc/news/2006/1206/LG_reorg.htm Larry Gossett Elected Chair of King County Council for 2007] , official King County site, December 11, 2006. Accessed online 27 April 2008.]

Life

A native of Seattle, Gossett is a 1963 graduate of Franklin High School; he then attended and graduated from the University of Washington (U.W.). In 1966-1967, he was a VISTA volunteer in Harlem. [http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/gossett.htm Larry Gossett] ] , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, University of Washington. Accessed online 27 April 2008] He initially joined VISTA for the draft deferment; his time in Harlem politicized and radicalized him. Returning to Seattle, he became a founder of the Black Student Union on the U.W. campus and helped to organize nearly a dozen high school and middle school Black Student Unions throughout Seattle. As a student activist, he was instrumental in bringing about the U.W.'s Educational Opportunity Program minority recruitment program. He graduated from the U.W. in 1970, receiving the university's first-ever degree in African American studies. Before he had even formally received his B.A., he became the first supervisor of the Black Student Division in the university's Office of Minority Affairs. The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project describes him as having been, in the late 1960s, "one of Seattle’s best known young black radicals."

A former member of SNCC, he has a long history of community organizing in Seattle. While still working for the U.W., he was involved in the occupation of a former Seattle public school that ultimately became El Centro de la Raza. His continued involvement in civil disobedience led to a request from Office Minority Affairs head Samuel E. Kelly that Gossett to "cool it." Eventually, he left his position at the university. After working on the successful 1977 mayoral campaign of Charles Royer, he served briefly in the Royer administration, but felt that was taking him too far from his activist roots. From April 1979 until December 1993, he was the executive director of Seattle's Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP). He eventually found his way back into electoral politics by way of involvement in Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns.

Gossett is married and has three children.

Gossett and the Black Panthers

Several sources state that Gossett was a member of the Black Panthers. [(1) [http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=1763&category=PoliticalMakers Larry Gossett Biography] , The HistoryMakers. Accessed online 27 April 2008.
(2)Piper Scott, responding to Geov Parrish, [http://www.horsesass.org/?p=3639 Thursday morning roundup: Embers edition] , HorsesAss.org, 25 October 2007. Accessed online 27 April 2008.] By Gossett's own account, he attended the founding meeting of Seattle's Panther chapter, and also attended Panther leader Bobby Hutton's 1968 funeral;Phil Campbell, [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=3094 In Other News... Thanks for Clearing That Up] , "The Stranger" (Seattle), February 2, 2000. Accessed online 27 April 2008.] he worked on several political actions with Panther Party members [Kurt Schaefer, [http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/Panthers1_schaefer.htm The Black Panther Party in Seattle, 1968-1970] , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, University of Washington. Accessed online 27 April 2008] and has said positive things about their legacy, [Mike Lindblom, [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002275598_blackpanther15m.html Black Panthers share history with new generation] , "Seattle Times", May 15, 2005. Accessed online 27 April 2008] but Gossett says that while he "was closely associated with the party" he never actually joined. [Kurt Schaefer, [http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/Panthers1_schaefer.htm The Black Panther Party in Seattle, 1968-1970] , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, University of Washington gives quite a bit of detail on Gossett's interactions with the Panthers during this period.]

Trivia

Larry Gossett's office in the King County Courthouse is in the same location that his jail cell was back in 1968 when he was arrested for unlawful assembly during a March 29 sit-in at Franklin High School. [Alan J. Stein, [http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=1378 College and high school students sit-in at Seattle's Franklin High on March 29, 1968] , HistoryLink, June 14, 1999. Accessed online 27 April 2008.] He recognizes the view from the window.fact|date=April 2008

ee also

* Gang of Four (Seattle)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.kingcounty.gov/Gossett King County Councilmember Larry Gossett] , County Council Website
* [http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/gossett.htm Larry Gossett] , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, University of Washington. Includes extensive video interview footage, mostly about the period from 1966 to 1974.