Herman Goldner Explained

Office:Mayor of St. Petersburg
Birth Date:12 November 1916
Party:Democratic (after 1972)
Termstart1:1961
Termend1:1967
Termstart2:1971
Termend2:1973
Predecessor1:Edward F. Brantley
Successor1:Don Jones
Predecessor2:Don L. Spicer
Successor2:Randolph Wedding
Otherparty:Republican (until 1972)
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Death Place:Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Battles:
Alma Mater:Miami University
Western Reserve University
Children:2

Herman Wilson Goldner (November 12, 1916 – September 9, 2010) was a lawyer and politician in the United States. He served four terms as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally a Republican, he switched parties and became a Democrat during Richard Nixon's presidency.[1]

Goldner was born on November 12, 1916, in Detroit, Michigan.[2] He received his undergraduate degree at Miami University and law degree at Western Reserve University. Goldner moved to St. Petersburg in 1949.[3]

He served as Mayor of St. Petersburg from 1961 to 1967 and 1971 to 1973.[4] In the 1964 election, he refused to support Barry Goldwater and instead endorsed Lyndon B. Johnson. He helped organize a regional planning organization.[5] Goldner championed the elimination of St. Petersburg city ordinances that practiced segregation. He defended murals by George Snow Hill in St. Petersburg's city hall[6] with caricatured depictions of African Americans. The mural was torn down by Joseph Waller who later became African People's Socialist Party leader Omali Yeshitela.[7]

In 1972, he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic and endorsed Edmund Muskie.[8]

He married his wife Winifred Herlan Munyan, on November 3, 1938.[9] They both had two sons, Brian and Michael.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Herman Goldner dubbed a "pre-eminent mayor'. Tampa Bay Times.
  2. Web site: Herman Goldner: Former mayor of St. Petersburg known as an outspoken visionary . 2024-05-08 . Newspapers.com . en.
  3. News: 1968-04-07 . GOP Senate Race: Gurney or Goldner . 2024-05-11 . Tampa Bay Times . 54.
  4. Web site: St. Petersburg. www.stpete.org.
  5. Web site: TBRPC Celebrates 50 Years of Regional Leadership - Bay Soundings. March 20, 2012.
  6. News: Clipped From Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times . December 15, 1966. 10. newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: I AM: The blank wall in city hall. January 2, 2020.
  8. News: 1972-02-01 . Florida Mayor Bolts G.O.P. . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-06-24 . 0362-4331.
  9. "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27KQ-99N: Sat May 08 11:30:47 UTC 2024), Entry for Herman Wilson Goldner and Winifred Herlan Munyan, 03 Nov 1938.