| Birth date | October 28, 1938 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Death date | May 27, 2026 (aged 87) |
| Death place | Shoreline, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, photographer, historian |
| Years active | 1967–1970; 1981–2019 |
| Known for | Seattle Now & Then, Helix, HistoryLink.org |
Paul Dorpat (October 28, 1938 – May 27, 2026) was an American historian, author and photographer, who specialized in the history of Seattle and Washington state. He had a weekly column in the The Seattle Times and was the principal historian of HistoryLink.org, a site devoted to Washington state history.[1]
Life and career
Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on October 28, 1938, Dorpat grew up in Spokane, Washington.[2] He was a key figure of Seattle's first underground newspaper, the Helix, which was published from March 23, 1967, until June 11, 1970.[3] Dorpat's Times column "Now & Then" ran weekly from January 17, 1982, to December 20, 2019, totaling about 1,800 articles.[4] Each week the column paired a historical photo of Seattle with an updated photo from an identical or similar point of view. He also wrote numerous books about Seattle.[1]
Dorpat died in Shoreline, Washington, on May 27, 2026, at the age of 87.[2]
Notes
- ^ Priscilla Long (2001-06-04). "Paul Dorpat publishes first Now & Then column on January 17, 1982". HistoryLink.org. Archived 2016-02-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ^ Jean Godden. "Dorpat, Paul (1938-2026)". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ^ Walt Crowley (2000-01-01). "Helix, Seattle's first underground newspaper, debuts on March 23, 1967.". HistoryLink.org. Archived 2008-01-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ^ Dorpat, Paul (December 20, 2019). "Farewell: Paul Dorpat looks back at nearly 38 years of Now & Then". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
External links
- DorpatSherrardLomont, a blog consisting of expanded versions of Dorpat's "Now and Then" Seattle Times columns.