Victor Aloysius Meyers

Victor Aloysius Meyers (September 7, 1898 – May 28, 1991) was an American politician and jazz bandleader. He served for 20 years as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Washington and an additional eight years as the tenth Secretary of State of Washington. He was the first Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Washington.

Early life and education Born in Little Falls, Minnesota, Meyers was the fifteenth of 16 children. His mother was a pianist; his father Morrison County treasurer. Meyers became a multi-instrumental musician, with drums as his first instrument.

Career

Music

At age 21, he put together a 10-piece band. In 1919 Meyers was given a two-year contract to lead the house band at the Rose Room in Seattle's Hotel Butler. The band enjoyed local success, and Butler's contract continued to be renewed. In 1923, Brunswick Records chose the group to record during the record company's West Coast field trip, the first records billed as "Vic Meyers Hotel Butler Orchestra". The band made further series of recordings for Brunswick the following year, and toured nationally before settling in Seattle, where he played on the radio. In 1927 his band first got a residency at the Trianon Ballroom in the Belltown/Denny Regrade area north of downtown

Early political career By 1932, Meyers had left the Butler Hotel and was holding forth at his own Club Victor back up in the Regrade, Welch saw Meyers as a joke candidate he could use as an anchor for satiric stories on the race. Meyers, Sr. was the last Democrat in the state to hold this position until Steve Hobbs was appointed (and later elected outright) to it in November 2021.

Historical archives While serving as Washington's Secretary of State, Meyers published a booklet entitled Historical Highlights. The booklet is written from a political perspective as tied to events within local communities and populations. Meyers summarized events beginning with the Spanish Expeditions in 1543 to the first territorial governor, Isaac Stevens, in 1853, before adding in-depth state history from 1853 to 1959. Territorial and State Governors' influences and contributions during periods in office serve as the basis of historical documentation with details pertaining to legislation and the citizenry.

Later career In the years after World War II, Meyers also took a shot at the prefabricated housing business, partnering with his brother Joseph Meyers and State Senator Howard Bargreen of Everett, Washington in a venture selling "Honeymoon GI homes". Many of these still stand in Tacoma, Washington. The park had been a pet project of his. Considered too out-of-the-way when Meyers first backed it, "Vic's Folly" is now one of the busiest parks in the state. "Helen Gone / Springtime Rag", Brunswick 2630 (1924) "Beets and Turnips" / "Weary Blues", Brunswick 2664 (1924) "Heartbroken" / "Burmalone", Brunswick 2685 (1924) "Mean Looks" / "Tell Me What To Do", Brunswick 2733 (1924) "The Only, Only One For Me" / "No Wonder (That I Love You)", Brunswick 2774 (1924) "Sad" / "Shimmy", Brunswick 2800 (1924) "Congratulations" / "Melancholy" Columbia 2026D "Bow Down to Washington" Columbia (1928)