Norman B. Rice served as Seattle's mayor from 1990 through 1997, becoming the first Black person elected to the office. He had spent eleven years on the City Council before winning the mayoral election in 1989. He later led the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and Seattle Foundation, moving from city government into housing finance and community philanthropy.
Rice was born in Denver in 1943. He initially attended the University of Colorado but left without graduating. After working in several jobs, he returned to education in Washington, studying at Highline Community College before transferring to the University of Washington. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 1972 and a master's in public administration in 1974. His early work included reporting for KOMO-TV and KIXI radio, a position with the Seattle Urban League and community relations work at Rainier National Bank.
Elected to the City Council in 1978, Rice served as council president and chaired its energy and finance committees. His council work included utility rates, the Women and Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance and divestment from firms doing business in apartheid-era South Africa. As mayor, he supported the Families and Education Levy and made downtown redevelopment a priority. He also worked with neighborhoods on growth planning and became president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
From 1998 to 2004, Rice was president and chief executive officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle. He subsequently became vice chairman of Capital Access LLC. In July 2009, he became president and chief executive of Seattle Foundation. During his leadership, the foundation launched GiveBIG, an online campaign supporting nonprofit organizations, and its work included education and economic opportunity initiatives. Rice announced his retirement from the foundation in 2013.
Rice joined the board of Casey Family Programs in 2012. At the University of Washington, he also worked on civic engagement through seminars, workshops and research as a practitioner-in-residence. In July 2020, he published Gaining Public Trust: A Profile of Civic Engagement, a book discussing his experience governing Seattle during disputes over school desegregation and busing. He and Constance Rice have also supported scholarships and education programs through their family fund at Seattle Foundation.
