Richard S. Caliguiri (October 20, 1931 – May 6, 1988) was an American politician who served as the mayor of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania from 1977 until his death in 1988.
Early career
Caliguiri was of Italian
Arbëresh ancestry, and grew up in the City of Pittsburgh's
Greenfield neighborhood.
He started his public service career in the CitiParks department of Pittsburgh, later running for the city council in the early 1970s. Caliguiri first ran for mayor as a longshot in 1973, but lost the
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
primary to popular incumbent mayor
Peter Flaherty; Flaherty was so popular that, for the first time in city, history no candidate opposed him in the general election. In his position as President of the Pittsburgh City Council, Caliguiri was appointed interim Mayor in 1977 after Flaherty was appointed
Deputy Attorney General
The Deputy Attorney General (DAG) is the second-highest-ranking official in a department of justice or of law, in various governments of the world. In those governments, the deputy attorney general oversees the day-to-day operation of the departme ...
in
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...
's administration. Caliguiri's departure from the city council necessitated the 1978 special election which allowed independent Democrat
Michelle Madoff her seat.
Mayor of Pittsburgh
Caliguiri won the mayor's office substantively in an election later in 1977, and was reelected twice, serving until his death in 1988. Under Caliguiri's leadership, Pittsburgh began its "Renaissance II" plan, an
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of bligh ...
and revitalization plan based on the "Renaissance" plan of former mayor and governor
David L. Lawrence. The plan was generally considered a success (especially with the city's
skyline
A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land.
City skyline ...
) but was hampered by a sharp and permanent downturn in the city's economy and resulting population shifts.
During Caliguri's tenure, Pittsburgh's economy began a marked downturn during the
deindustrialization
Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of productive capacity, industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry.
There ar ...
of the 1980s, with the decline of the large steel producers such as
U.S. Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...
and
Jones and Laughlin. Long time industrial giants which had Pittsburgh headquarters such as
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...
and
Koppers
Koppers is a global chemical and materials company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States in an art-deco 1920s skyscraper, the Koppers Tower.
Structure
Koppers is an integrated global producer of carbon compounds, chemicals, and tr ...
were both victims of the 1980s arbitrage and hostile takeover climate. Gulf was absorbed by
Chevron and Koppers by British firm
Beazer
Beazer was a family business for six generationsC.H.Beazer (Holdings) Prospectus, July 1973 before expanding in the 1980s into international housebuilding, construction and building materials group. After becoming overburdened with debt it was r ...
, both resulting in the region losing several thousand high salaried corporate headquarter jobs. The period was also marked by Pittsburgh-based
Westinghouse's run up to bankruptcy and reorganization in 1990 (later to become
CBS and move to New York) and
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. Ro ...
's move to California and eventually Wisconsin. By the end of Caliguiri's time in office, not a single major steel mill operated in a city once known as the "Steel City", and the city that once boasted more
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by '' Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
corporate headquarters than any other US city save for New York and Chicago, had fewer than ten.
In 1986, in response to some citizen complaints and legal action by the
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". ...
, the city, by order of Mayor Caliguiri, placed a plaque entitled "Salute to Liberty." and reading: "During this holiday season, the city of Pittsburgh salutes liberty. Let these festive lights remind us that we are the keepers of the flame of liberty and our legacy of freedom." Three years later, by two 5-4 decisions, the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
upheld in part and denied in part the city's position in ''
County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union''.
Illness and death
In the late 1980s, Caliguiri was diagnosed with
amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weig ...
, a rare and serious protein disorder. Coincidentally, within a few years in the mid to late 1980s, three of Pennsylvania's most prominent political leaders were afflicted with the disorder. Caliguiri as well as longtime
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at ...
Mayor
Louis Tullio and
Pennsylvania Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the head of state and head of government of the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth's military forces.
The governor has a duty to enfo ...
Bob Casey were all diagnosed with the incurable and usually fatal disease.
Caliguiri refused to allow his declining health to affect his leadership and did not step down as mayor. He died in 1988 at the age of 56, and was interred in Pittsburgh's Roman Catholic
Calvary Cemetery.
Honors
In October 1990, a commemorative statue of Caliguiri sculpted by
Robert Berks
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
was dedicated on the steps of the Downtown Pittsburgh City-County Building on
Grant Street
Grant Street is the main government and business corridor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to the global headquarters of U.S. Steel, Koppers Chemicals, and Oxford Development. It also is home to the seat of Allegheny County, City of Pittsb ...
. According to Caliguiri's son David, previous ideas had included a renaming of Grant Street and the Pittsburgh Civic (later Mellon)
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...
. Caliguiri, who graduated from
Taylor Allderdice High School
Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It opened in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and Squirr ...
in 1950, was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2010.
Film career
Caliguiri is spotlighted in a cameo playing himself in the sport/cult classic ''
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
''The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' is a 1979 American sports/fantasy comedy film directed by Gilbert Moses and coproduced by David Dashev and Gary Stromberg. It was produced by Lorimar and distributed by United Artists.
The film was shot on loca ...
'' in 1979. Near the middle of the film he is seen on the extreme right introducing to a cheering crowd the city's basketball team at an indoor rally. He slips off camera for a few seconds and then is seen again patting them on the back and shaking hands with the actors and coach, before he extends across the crowd to shake
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
's hand (one of the "actors" on the team) and is met warmly by a surprised Dr. J.
On May 18, 1987 Caliguiri was a guest on a national broadcast of ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'' as it filmed in Pittsburgh.
Electoral history
*
1977 Race for Pittsburgh Mayor
** Richard Caliguiri (I), 48%
**
Thomas Foerster (D), 44%
** Joseph Cosetti (R), 9%
*
1981 Race for Pittsburgh Mayor
** Richard Caliguiri (D), 80%
** Fred Goehringer (R), 18%
*
1985 Race for Pittsburgh Mayor
** Richard Caliguiri (D), 77%
** Henry Sneath (R), 22%
References
External links
Mayor's open letter to citizens declaring himself for re-election in 1981
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caliguiri, Richard
1931 births
1988 deaths
20th-century American politicians
American politicians of Italian descent
Burials at Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Pittsburgh)
Deaths from amyloidosis
Mayors of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh City Council members
Taylor Allderdice High School alumni