George Moscone

Moscones tombstone in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma

George Moscone (born November 24, 1929 in San Francisco , † November 27, 1978 ibid) was an American politician and mayor of the city of San Francisco.

Career

The Italian-American Moscone was the son of a prison guard and a cleaning lady. He studied law. In 1960 he ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for a seat in the California state parliament. In November 1975 he won the election of mayor of his city with a narrow majority against a conservative competitor. He held this office from January 1976 until his violent death.

Like City Councilor Harvey Milk , he was shot five times by Dan White, a member of the city council. The trigger was a dispute over the reappointment of White as a member of the city council after his resignation from the same post. White was sentenced to seven years in prison not for murder but only for manslaughter. This process led to the cynical phrase " Twinkie defense " that came into US parlance. Dan White was released in 1984 and committed suicide in 1985.

The largest conference center in the city of San Francisco, the Moscone Center , is named after him, as is a rehab clinic. A bronze bust in the town hall commemorates Moscone.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Moscone, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician, Mayor of San Francisco
DATE OF BIRTH	November 24, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH	San Francisco , California
DATE OF DEATH	November 27, 1978
Place of death	San Francisco , California