In
the autumn of 1916, a small group of men began meeting in the
Hazelwood Confectionary & Restaurant in downtown Portland.
They were well-educated, eager to foster positive change in their
community, and they were dissatisfied with the operation of the
city's public institutions and government. Above all, they felt
that existing service organizations gave them no voice.
They
decided to form a "distinctive club" along the lines
of those found in Eastern cities which served as "watchdogs"
over community doings. The idea of "just another luncheon
club" didn't appeal to them, nor did continuing to meet,
eat, and gripe about conditions without doing anything about them.
And
so they formed The City Club of Portland. "No mossbacks or
drones are wanted," said the attorney who became the Club's
first secretary. The Club was never to deteriorate into a tool
of special interests. To guarantee independence, dues paid by
individual members would fund the Club. Neither politics nor money
were to suppress ideas and ability. Character, intelligence, training,
civic-mindedness, and a desire to help the community were wanted
and fostered.
The
first constitution and bylaws set down seven purposes of the Club
as follows:
To bring
together congenial, forward-looking men of divergent beliefs,
politics and occupations (Women were admitted to the membership
in October, 1973; current bylaws refer to persons of divergent
beliefs, politics, and occupations).
To assemble
a library of information relating to all phases of civic life.
To study
and discuss impartially Portland's civic problems.
To work
for the improvement of the city's economic and social conditions.
To encourage
fellowship which would breed ideas and to endeavor intelligently
to discharge the obligations of citizenship.
To work
with all high-purposed organizations for a greater Portland.
Ultimately
to have a club house in which hospitality could be extended
to all other civic organizations.
Since
that time, all but the seventh purpose, that of having a club
house, have been and are being realized. The mission "to
inform its members and the community in public matters and to
arouse in them a realization of the obligations of citizenship"
is still printed on the front of the Club's weekly newsletter,
The Bulletin.
The
City Club has a rich tradition and a fine reputation for excellence.
Many of the community's key leaders over the past 80 years initially
honed their skill on City Club projects. The Club provides fertile
ground for leadership development, intellectual stimulation, and
social interaction with diverse representatives from throughout
the community. Membership is open to all.
