George Moscone

January 24, 1929 (age 49)

San Francisco, California, United States

The capitol press corps in Sacramento voted him "Most Effective Democratic Senator" in 1969, the year he became a member of the law firm of Hansen, Bridgett, Marcus and Jenkins. During this busy time, Moscone also wrote for legal journals. In 1974, Moscone entered the California gubernatorial primary but dropped out in favor of Edmund G. ("Jerry") Brown, Jr. In 1975, he decided to run for election as successor to the colorful Joseph Alioto as mayor of San Francisco. Its supervisors were elected "at large" rather than from specific districts. Power blocs, such as the Civic League, froze the poor, blacks, Asians, and homosexuals out of city offices. Moscone tried to change that cliquishness and to help the city create supervisorial districts and to require supervisors to live in their districts. Moscone faced three immediate challenges after his election: a virtual war with radical groups, a strike by municipal workers, and the sale of the San Francisco Giants baseball team to a Canadian group. The problems with the radicals were beyond his control. The thirty-eight-day strike was settled with concessions from the Board of Supervisors, and Moscone threatened a lawsuit against the Giants while working to keep the team in the city. His efforts paid off when the Giants decided to stay in San Francisco. More challenges arose in 1977 when Barbagelata organized a move to overturn the political reforms of the year before and to cut the terms of Moscone and other elected officials from four to two years. The challenge failed at the polls. In June 1977, homosexuals Jerry Taylor and Roger Hillsborough, a city gardener, were attacked and Hillsborough was killed. The gay community reacted in protest, and Moscone moved to help them and to calm their fears. The city hall flag flew at half-staff for Hillsborough. Violent crime came to the fore when three gunmen killed five and wounded eleven in Chinatown's Golden Dragon Restaurant. Moscone offered a $100, 000 reward for their apprehension. In January 1978 a two-year drought and water rationing ended. Then, on Nov. 18, 1978, came tragedy: the suicides of Jim Jones and 911 of his followers who had left San Francisco and reestablished their temple in Jonestown, Guyana. The news of the suicides compounded the malaise many San Franciscans felt for their city and its new inhabitants. One segment of the population saw Moscone and Milk as "symbols of a once glorious city that had become dirty and dangerous. " One of those was Dan White, a former policeman, a conservative, and a gay-basher. White had resigned as a San Francisco supervisor on November 10 because of the position's low salary but came to Moscone's office on November 27 to ask to be reinstated. White shot and killed Moscone in the mayor's office and then killed Milk in his City Hall office. [Moscone left no publicly accessible papers. See The Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club Presents Harvey Milk's Birthday, 1982 (1982); Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk (1982); and Mike Weiss, Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings (1984). Oral history interviews conducted by Ann Lage with Arlen F. Gregorio and John V. Jervis, and by Arlene Lazarowitz with Omer L. Rains, can be found at the University of California, Berkeley. Obituaries are in the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 28, 1978; the New York Times, Nov. 28 and 29, 1978; and the Washington Post, Nov. 29, 1978. ]

George Richard Moscone

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statesman

Background

Moscone, George Richard, , California 1929 1978 Male Mayor mayor of San Francisco, was born in San Francisco, the son of George J. Moscone, a prison guard, and Lena ("Lee") Monge.

Education

Growing up in the city's Cow Hollow district, he attended St. Ignatius High School and won all-city basketball honors in 1947 and 1948.

He served in the naval reserve, was president of his college fraternity, and received the B. A. from the University of the Pacific in 1952.

In 1956 he earned the J. D. from the University of California's Hastings Law School in San Francisco, and he was admitted to the California bar in 1957.

Career

The capitol press corps in Sacramento voted him "Most Effective Democratic Senator" in 1969, the year he became a member of the law firm of Hansen, Bridgett, Marcus and Jenkins.

During this busy time, Moscone also wrote for legal journals.

In 1974, Moscone entered the California gubernatorial primary but dropped out in favor of Edmund G. ("Jerry") Brown, Jr.

In 1975, he decided to run for election as successor to the colorful Joseph Alioto as mayor of San Francisco.

Its supervisors were elected "at large" rather than from specific districts.

Power blocs, such as the Civic League, froze the poor, blacks, Asians, and homosexuals out of city offices.

Moscone tried to change that cliquishness and to help the city create supervisorial districts and to require supervisors to live in their districts.

Moscone faced three immediate challenges after his election: a virtual war with radical groups, a strike by municipal workers, and the sale of the San Francisco Giants baseball team to a Canadian group.

The problems with the radicals were beyond his control.

The thirty-eight-day strike was settled with concessions from the Board of Supervisors, and Moscone threatened a lawsuit against the Giants while working to keep the team in the city.

His efforts paid off when the Giants decided to stay in San Francisco.

More challenges arose in 1977 when Barbagelata organized a move to overturn the political reforms of the year before and to cut the terms of Moscone and other elected officials from four to two years.

The challenge failed at the polls.

In June 1977, homosexuals Jerry Taylor and Roger Hillsborough, a city gardener, were attacked and Hillsborough was killed.

The gay community reacted in protest, and Moscone moved to help them and to calm their fears.

The city hall flag flew at half-staff for Hillsborough.

Violent crime came to the fore when three gunmen killed five and wounded eleven in Chinatown's Golden Dragon Restaurant.

Moscone offered a $100, 000 reward for their apprehension.

In January 1978 a two-year drought and water rationing ended.

Then, on Nov. 18, 1978, came tragedy: the suicides of Jim Jones and 911 of his followers who had left San Francisco and reestablished their temple in Jonestown, Guyana.

The news of the suicides compounded the malaise many San Franciscans felt for their city and its new inhabitants.

One segment of the population saw Moscone and Milk as "symbols of a once glorious city that had become dirty and dangerous. "

One of those was Dan White, a former policeman, a conservative, and a gay-basher.

White had resigned as a San Francisco supervisor on November 10 because of the position's low salary but came to Moscone's office on November 27 to ask to be reinstated.

White shot and killed Moscone in the mayor's office and then killed Milk in his City Hall office.

[Moscone left no publicly accessible papers.

See The Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club Presents Harvey Milk's Birthday, 1982 (1982); Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk (1982); and Mike Weiss, Double Play: The San Francisco City Hall Killings (1984).

Oral history interviews conducted by Ann Lage with Arlen F. Gregorio and John V. Jervis, and by Arlene Lazarowitz with Omer L. Rains, can be found at the University of California, Berkeley.

Obituaries are in the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 28, 1978; the New York Times, Nov. 28 and 29, 1978; and the Washington Post, Nov. 29, 1978. ]

Religion

Nearly 100 political bombings and 14 political murders occurred in the decade before 1975 as Black Muslim "Zebra" killers, the Symbionese Liberation Army, and the New World Liberation Front tried to disrupt the political process.

Connections

married:: Eugenia
children:: Eugenia
Partner:: Charles
Friend:: John
Friend:: Charles

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George Richard Moscone

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