1933: Dr. Jesse L. Norris
Recognized as the dean of Longview’s medical community, Dr. Jesse Norris championed local hospitals and city parks. During his 37 years of practice that began in 1923, he helped found Longview Memorial and Cowlitz General hospitals, which later merged into St. John. Amid the Great Depression, he spearheaded a drive to pay delinquent property taxes for the land that became Lake Sacajawea and R.A. Long parks. Not yet city property, it otherwise would have been sold at auction. Among other achievements, Dr. Norris directed fundraising for the bust of R.A. Long that now stands in front of the library.

1934-37: Dr. R.S. Howell
Dr. R.S. Howell was a dentist who opened an office in Longview in 1923. Ten years later, he was among the city’s pioneers who formed the ’23 Club. During the Depression, he joined forces with Dr. Jesse Norris and others to save Lake Sacajawea and R.A. Long parks from tax foreclosure. Dr. Howell has the distinction of serving four terms, more than any other ’23 Club president. After retiring, he moved to California and died at age 68.

1938-40: A.L. Gibbs
A.L. Gibbs was Long-Bell’s man in charge of buying land for the new city. He and four other land agents bought 245 pieces of property, paying a total of
$2,611,101 — equivalent to $46 million in 2023. Gibbs worked on plans to form a city government after a census counted 3,724 residents in 1923. Long-Bell favored Gibbs for mayor, and he was elected in 1924. Later, company executives deemed him “anti-Long-Bell” because he entertained an old friend they viewed as hostile to the company. In 1928, Long-Bell chose a candidate to oppose Gibbs, who nonetheless prevailed with 56 percent of the vote — 1,718 to 1,332. He was mayor until 1930.