Civil Service Commission Annual Reports, 1894-2006

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Civil Service Commission
Title
Civil Service Commission Annual Reports
Dates
1894-2006 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.6 cubic feet
Collection Number
1802-F7
Summary
Annual reports for the Civil Service Commission, including Labor Commissioner reports, Office Early reports, and Civil Service reports. Appendices include more detailed information, such as statistics, rulings, and amendments.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Civil Service Commission was established in 1896 to oversee the Civil Service Department which administered the City's personnel system. In 1979 the City's personnel system was reorganized with the creation of a Personnel Department independent of the Commission. The Commission was reorganized with jurisdiction to hear employee appeals relating to demotions, terminations, suspensions, certain lay-offs, and violations of personnel rules. The Commission is comprised of three-members serving staggered three-year terms. One member is appointed by the mayor, one by the City Council, and one is elected by City employees.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Annual reports for the Civil Service Commission from both before and after the 1979 reorganization. The earliest report, from 1894, is a report of the Labor Commissioner. The Labor Commissioner administered the Public Employment Office, which was part of the Civil Service Commission. Reports from 1896 to the 1920s have appendices that include reports from the secretary, chief examiner, and labor commissioner. The appendices also include information such as labor statistics, rulings, amendments, examinations, including examination questions, and labor issues. The 1899 report includes reports for the years 1897 and 1898. Labor Commissioner reports in the 1890s are very detailed and include information on types and numbers of positions filled, the increase of population due to the gold rush in Alaska, railroad laborers, hop picking, women, and minorities. By the 1930s, the annual report of the Labor Commissioner is presented jointly with the Civil Service Commission report and not as an appendix. These reports include statistical information but not as much narrative as earlier reports. Labor Commissioner reports cease to be a part of the Civil Service Commission reports in 1942 when the Public Employment Office was abolished. Reports in the 1950s begin listing names of examiners used, both inside and outside of City employment. Reports in the 1960s include organizational charts. Beginning in 1970, the reports are much shorter, only including one to two pages of statistical trends, or no statistics, and a few pages of narrative.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

CF Project. A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed "on file" with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily permanent records, but also include routine material which is periodically purged. Beginning in 1987, certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed, arranged into records series, and incorporated into the ca_collections.idno of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC. A single accession number, 1987-048, was assigned to the transfer of the CF to the Archives. The initial transfer included records dating from 1895. These records remain in the CF series until approximately 15 years after they were filed with the OCC, at which point they are removed to the Archives. The transfer of CF records to the Archives is routine and regular. New accession numbers are not created when these transfers are made.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Civil Service Commission Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-F7 Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Civil Service Commission / Commissioner of Labor Statistics Annual Report 1894
1 1 Civil Service Commission / Labor Commissioner Annual Report 1895
1 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report (Appendix) 1896
1 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1896
1 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1899
1 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1901
1 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1903
1 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1908
1 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1909
1 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1910
1 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1913
1 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1913
1 8 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1914
1 8 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1915
2 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1916
2 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1917
2 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1918
2 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1919
2 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1920
2 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1921
2 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1922
2 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1923
2 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1930
2 5 Civil Service Commission - Labor Commissioner Annual Report 1931
2 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1932
2 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1933
2 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1934
2 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1935-1936
2 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1937
2 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1938
2 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1939
2 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1940
2 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1941
2 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1942-1943
3 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1944
3 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1945
3 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1946
3 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1947
3 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1948
3 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1949
3 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1950
3 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1951
3 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1952
3 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1953
3 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1954
3 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1955
3 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1956
3 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1957
3 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1958
3 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1959
3 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1960
3 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1961
3 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1962
3 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1963
3 7 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1964
4 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1965
4 1 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1966
4 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1967
4 2 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1968
4 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1969
4 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1970
4 3 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1971
4 3 Civil Service Department Annual Report 1972
4 3 Civil Service Department Annual Report 1973
4 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 1998
4 4 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 2003
4 5 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 2004
4 6 Civil Service Commission Annual Report 2005-2006

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Civil service--Examinations--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Labor Relations

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Civil Service Commission
  • Seattle (Wash.). Labor Commissioner

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)