Three Years Our Mayor
George Moscone and the Making of Modern San Francisco
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Nevada Press
Publishing:8th Apr '25
£45.95
This title is due to be published on 8th April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Those who recognize Mayor George Moscone’s name may think of him as the career politician who was assassinated along with Harvey Milk, but there was much more to this influential and fascinating man’s story. He was a trailblazing progressive and powerful state legislator who was instrumental in passing legislation on issues ranging from LGBT rights to funding for school lunches. Moscone’s 1975 campaign for mayor was historically significant because it was the first time a major race was won by a candidate who campaigned aggressively for expanding civil rights for both African Americans and LGBT people. He won his campaign for mayor chiefly because of huge support from those two constituencies.
Moscone was also a very colorful character who, in addition to being a successful politician, was a charming and charismatic bon vivant who was deeply embedded in the fabric and culture of San Francisco. He grew up the only son of a single mother in Cow Hollow when it was a working class, largely Italian American neighborhood, and he became the kind of politician who knew bartenders, playground attendants, small business owners, and neighborhood activists in every corner of the city. Moscone’s life and the history of San Francisco during the middle half of the twentieth century are deeply intertwined.
Through illustrating the life of Moscone, author Lincoln A. Mitchell explores how today’s San Francisco came into being. Moscone—through his work in the State Senate, victory in the very divisive 1975 mayor’s race, and brief tenure as mayor—was a key figure in the city’s evolution. The politics surrounding Moscone’s election as mayor, governance of the city, and tragic death are still relevant issues. Moscone was a groundbreaking politician whose life was cut short, but his influence on San Francisco can still be felt today.
“Three Years our Mayor is a groundbreaking biography of George Moscone, a strong neighborhood mayor who inspired me as San Francisco’s thirty-ninth mayor. This book is a brilliant history of San Francisco during the twentieth century, reminding us why this city is so unusual, and indeed so important. With Three Years Our Mayor, Lincoln Mitchell has established himself as one of our premier chroniclers of twentieth century San Francisco. Mitchell’s skill at combining expert and thorough research with a style that is readable, accessible, and even fun, is an additional reason why this book is so extraordinary. Three Years our Mayor is an essential read for anybody, whether you are studying it from afar, a long-time native. or have just moved here and want to understand San Francisco.” - Art Agnos, Mayor of San Francisco, 1988-1992
“Three Years Our Mayor is an excellent biography of Mayor George Moscone set in a richly contextualized political history of San Francisco. In a deeply researched and brilliantly executed book, Lincoln Mitchell skillfully analyzes the other San Francisco, the everyday city beneath the superficial Baghdad by the Bay and Summer of Love hype. With vivid prose and eye-catching detail, Mitchell lays bare the social and cultural tensions that seethed below the surface and then shook the city to its core in 1978 when Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the loves and hates, hopes and fears, and contests over power and privilege that laid the foundations for today’s city.” - William Issel, author of Church and State in the City: Catholics and Politics in Twentieth Century San Francisco
“Lincoln Mitchell’s Three Year Our Mayor: George Moscone and the Making of Modern San Francisco is both a brilliant biography of an overlooked and captivating figure in San Francisco history and a sophisticated political analysis of how cities adapt and ultimately thrive in the face of great economic and social challenges San Francisco was one of only a few American cities that came through the 1970s to emerge as an economic powerhouse with a diverse population and inclusive politics. Mitchell’s in-depth research combined with his excellent writing and storytelling skills helps us understand why. This book should be read by anyone interested in the fascinating transformation San Francisco.” - Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, Columbia University
ISBN: 9781647791872
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 13mm
Weight: 454g
575 pages