Louis Wilde

Background

Wilde was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1865.

Career

After living in Rochester, New York, Philadelphia, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, he moved to San Diego in 1903. He intended to spend only a winter in San Diego, but liked it so well that he stayed and went into the real estate and banking businesses. In San Diego he organized four banks, built the city"s first modern apartment house, built the Pickwick Theatre, raised money to complete unfinished United States Grant Hotel, and in 1914 successfully argued for renaming Doctorate Street to Broadway.

He served as mayor of San Diego during 1917–1921.

The 1917 race was a classic growth-versus-beautification debate. Wilde called Marston "Geranium George", painting him as unfriendly to business.

Wilde"s campaign slogan was "More Smokestacks", and during the campaign he drew a great smokestack belching smoke on a truck through the city streets. The phrase "smokestacks versus geraniums" is still used in San Diego to characterize this type of debate.

As mayor, Wilde was outspoken and not afraid to say what he thought, and had a sense of humor.

Whenever he spoke, he drew crowds. During a council meeting in 1920 he grabbed a gavel and lunged at a councilman, scolding him for bereating a reporter, and mashed his own finger and injured his legal After that date he refused to enter city hall.

He conducted business through a messenger from the United States Grant Hotel.

In 1920 Wilde organized the Community Oil Well Company to drill for oil in San Diego County. Number oil was found, and the San Diego Sun"s investigation accused the venture of improper spending.

Wilde decided to not run for a third term in 1921, under a cloud of scandal. He left town and moved to Los Angeles, where he died in 1924.

Remember, that this is a fight to the last ditch for the wage earner, against big interests, high taxes, bond issues and expensive parks and flowers along millionaire row, against big expenditures for the pleasure of a few smug plutocrats.

Achievements

• Wilde won, with the support of unions and business, and was re-elected two years later.

Views

Quotations: Remember, that this is a fight to the last ditch for the wage earner, against big interests, high taxes, bond issues and expensive parks and flowers along millionaire row, against big expenditures for the pleasure of a few smug plutocrats.