H. Dewayne Kreager; Key Figure Behind 1962 World’s Fair
H. Dewayne Kreager, 88, former White House economic staffer and key figure behind the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, died May 6 in Seattle of complications from a stroke.
From 1947 to 1953, Kreager worked in the executive office and on the White House staff of President Harry S. Truman. For the next four years, he was a consulting economist with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s chief of staff, John Steelman.
As the first director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Development from 1957 to 1960, Kreager worked with Eddie Carlson, president of what is now the Westin hotel chain, to arrange financing for the fair.
Among the projects developed for the event was the Space Needle, the building that has become an internationally recognized landmark.
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