Curtiss Moses

Life Member

d. October 1989

Curtiss J. Moses, born in Northfield, Minnesota, spent much of his youth in the Seattle area. A veteran of World War I, he served with the Machine Battalion, Company A of the famous 2nd Division in France. After armistice, he joined the army of occupation and served in Germany repairing roads before returning to Seattle to complete his University of Washington engineering studies. He received his Professional Structural Engineer license in 1935.

In 1923, he went to work with the Seattle Building Department, supervising structural design approval for issuance of building permits and also responsibile for structural inspections to verify construction in accordance with approved plans. He initiated a panel of structural engineers with an architect to review the quaifications of inspectors employed by private testing laboratories to review constuction in conformance with permit plans and the Building Code.

After the1949 Seattle earthquake, Curtiss Moses enlisted several structural engineers in private practice to evaluate the safety of buildings damaged by the quake -- part of an effort that led to the 1950 establishment of SEAW.

In addition to his SEAW involvement, he held membership in the Washington Engineer's Club. The City of Seattle recognized him with its service award emblem in 1959.

Posted April 2012