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This digital collection comprises select materials from the Mayor Richard “Dick” Eardley papers at the Boise City Archive. The collection documents his time as a city councilmember and mayor in Boise from 1969-1986. The collection includes constituent correspondence, memorandums, reports, and planning documents.

The material provides a documentation of the issues Mayor Eardley worked on during his political career including policing, downtown redevelopment, urban renewal, and land use and planning. Also represented in the collection are original works of Darwin H. “Dar” Dodds, in which he documents his imprisonment on Wake Island during World War II.

Richard Eardley was born December 23, 1928, in Denver, Colorado. He moved to Baker City, Oregon with his family at eight years old and graduated from Baker High School in 1947. In 1955 he moved to Boise, Idaho with his wife and three children. From 1955-1958 he worked as a reporter for the Idaho Daily Statesman, and then as the news and sports director for KBOI from 1958-1974.

In 1969 Eardley was elected to the Boise City Council and served four years until 1973 when he was elected mayor. He served three terms as Boise Mayor from 1974-1986, one of only two mayors to have served for three terms. During his tenure as mayor, he oversaw the construction of the current Boise City Hall, worked to revitalize the North End Neighborhood, and helped create the Boise Arts Commission, World Center for Birds of Prey, Morrison Center, and Boise Greenbelt.

Richard Eardley passed away June 30, 2012, in Boise, Idaho.

Image credit: Mayor Richard “Dick” Eardley Papers, MS018-B09-F06-006, Boise City Archives

Interested in researching Mayor Eardley's records?  Click on "Find out More" below to review the finding aid or reach out to artsandhistory@cityofboise.org.