Corliss P. Stone

Corliss P. Stone (1838 – 1906) was elected as the 3rd mayor of Seattle in 1872. Prior to election as mayor, Stone had served three terms as a city council member. Stone Way North, Stone Avenue North, and Corliss Avenue North, streets in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, are named after him.

On February 23, 1873, Corliss P. Stone, Mayor of Seattle and partner of the firm Stone and Burnett, reportedly embezzles $15,000 ($547,500 in 1997 dollars) from his firm and leaves for San Francisco with a woman who is married to another man.

Stone in fact removed the cash from their safe and money from the bank leaving Burnett with the duty of settling the firm's accounts payable. The title to property owned by the firm, however, was turned over to Burnett. Burnett and Stone later negotiated a settlement which allowed Stone to return to Seattle for the purpose of engaging in business independently again.

Stone was a businessman and developer who subdivided and platted what are now the Wallingford and Fremont neighborhoods of Seattle. Stone Way and Corliss Avenue in Wallingford are named after him. A Republican, he had been active in local politics for several years before being elected mayor. He was appointed to the Common Council when the Territorial Legislature chartered the city of Seattle in December 1869 and then served two terms as an elected member of the council. John T. Jordan, Stone's predecessor, was appointed acting mayor until a special election could be arranged. Republican Moses R. Maddocks was elected to fill the final two months of Stone's term.