The Name
Captain William Kidd was a seventeenth-century Scottish privateer who walked the line between sanctioned piracy and outright crime with such flair that history could never quite decide which he was. He was hanged in 1701, his reputation sealed — equal parts villain and legend. It was an irresistible name for the leader of a troupe of theatrical pirates dedicated to community service.
Since 1949, every elected leader of the Seattle Seafair Pirates has taken the title of Captain Kidd. The name is not inherited — it is earned, and it carries the weight of every Captain who wore it before.
"To be named Captain Kidd is to accept command of the most deliberately ridiculous vessel in the Pacific Northwest — and to do it with complete sincerity."
The Role
Captain Kidd is the public face of the Seattle Seafair Pirates. The Captain leads the annual Landing, commands the Moby Duck's charge onto the Seattle waterfront, and accepts — with theatrical reluctance or theatrical triumph, depending on the script — the surrender of Seattle's civic leaders each Seafair.
Off the water, the Captain represents the Pirates at community events, media appearances, and the dozens of hospital and nursing home visits the crew makes throughout the year. It is a role that demands equal parts charisma, commitment, and willingness to spend a significant portion of July in a pirate hat.
Selection and Succession
The title of Captain Kidd passes through an internal election among the Pirates. Candidates are typically long-standing members who have demonstrated both the theatrical presence the role demands and the organizational reliability it requires. A new Captain is not simply picking up a costume — they are accepting stewardship of a seventy-five-year tradition.
Each Captain brings their own interpretation to the role while honoring its continuity. Some have been bombastic, some sly; some have made the Landing a spectacle of cannon fire and drama, others have leaned into the comedy. All have understood that Captain Kidd is, at bottom, a character in service of a community.
A Living Office
The line of Captains Kidd stretches back to 1949 — a succession of Seattleites who believed that their city deserved to be entertained, served, and occasionally invaded by a crew of lovable scoundrels every summer. Each name in that line is a chapter in the story of Seafair itself.
The current Captain Kidd continues that tradition, leading a crew of 40+ Pirates into hospitals, parades, and waterfront landings with the same conviction that animated the first raid three-quarters of a century ago: that laughter is a public good, and someone has to provide it.
The Captains, 1950 – Present
Every man who has held the title of Captain Kidd.
