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 St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. Originally a Republican, he switched parties and became a Democrat during

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

's presidency.

Early life

Goldner was born on November 12, 1916, in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. He received his undergraduate degree at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

, law degree at

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, and business degree from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. Goldner moved to St. Petersburg in 1949.

Political career

He served as Mayor of St. Petersburg from 1961 to 1967 and 1971 to 1973. In the 1964 election, he refused to support

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

and instead endorsed

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. He helped organize a regional planning organization. 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 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. In 1972, he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic and endorsed

Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28, 1914March 26, 1996) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 58th United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981, a United States Senator from Maine from 1 ...

Personal life

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldner, Herman Wilson 1916 births 2010 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Florida Mayors of St. Petersburg, Florida Florida Republicans Florida Democrats Miami University alumni Case Western Reserve University alumni Harvard Business School alumni