Pat Davis, longtime Port leader who invited WTO to Seattle, has died

Pat Davis, a longtime Port of Seattle commissioner who helped reshape the airport and waterfront and brought the World Trade Organization to Seattle, has died at 91. When she started, Seattle’s airport had fewer than 12 million annual passengers, cruise ships did not stop at the piers, and the downtown waterfront was described as shabby and worn. Over a quarter century, colleagues said, the Port grew international cruise access and welcomed about 30 million passengers annually, including development such as a third runway. Davis also played a key role in the 1999 WTO conference that triggered massive “Battle of Seattle” protests. Elected in 1985 as the first woman commissioner since the Port formed in 1911, she later faced criticism during her later years, including claims she rubber-stamped business interests.