Charles W. Bush (October 17, 1881 – August 4, 1955) was the third mayor of

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

Biography

Charles William Bush was born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and immigrated with his family to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

while he was still an infant. He came of age in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

where he worked as a clothing salesman. In 1905, he moved to

Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2020 US Census, the population of the city is 3,985, up from 3,976 in 2010. It is the third most populated city in Alaska's Unorganized Borou ...

, where he operated a tobacco store with his sister, Emma. In 1915, he moved to the not-yet-incorporated city of

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

. It was about this time that a boy, Edward, was born to Charles and his wife, Dora. While in Anchorage, Bush worked for many years as a manager of the Brown & Hawkins general mercantile store, and in 1923, he was elected to the Anchorage City Council. After Anchorage mayor M. Joseph Conroy resigned on October 2, 1924, Bush was appointed by the City Council to complete Conroy's term. He was re-elected as mayor in 1925, but resigned from the office of mayor on December 16, 1925. Meanwhile, Brown & Hawkins decided to close its Anchorage store, and Bush return to Portland. Bush moved to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

sometime between 1926 and 1930, where he worked as a salesman for the Marston Company, a local department store. Bush died on August 4, 1955.

References

* 1881 births 1955 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Alaska Mayors of Anchorage, Alaska Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States Politicians from Portland, Oregon People from the Territory of Alaska {{Alaska-mayor-stub