Archives Spotlight: The Washington Senate Committee on Public Morals

Archives Spotlight: The Washington Senate Committee on Public Morals

March 08, 2019

Years ago, the Washington state legislature included a Senate Committee on Public Morals.

According to Sine Die: A Guide to the Washington State Legislative Process, the committee lasted from “1909 through 1954,” but there’s evidence it was around in the 1890s. Perhaps there was a hiatus between the 1890s and 1909.

It is unclear what the committee met about, since its files were not retained in the State Archives. Do any of you around the Legislature know some of the topics that went before this committee? Let us know!

We do know that the Legislature took issue with comic books at one time, but the context that led to enlarged displays of The Human Torch and zombie drawings may be lost to history.

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