My new book Three Years Our Mayor: George Moscone and the Making of Modern San Francisco will be published in April, but can be pre-ordered now. If you would like to pre-order the book, you can do that now at the usual places. If you would like to make a bulk order, please contact Caddie Dufurrena.
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. Moscone was a groundbreaking politician whose life was cut short, but his influence on San Francisco and California can still be felt today.
“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.”
-Art Agnos, mayor of San Francisco, 1988-1992
“In today s kaleidoscopic political landscape we’ve been cheated of the humanity and evolvement of a gifted man. Whose moral compass is missed and documented by Mitchell s skill and scholarship.”
-Tom Ammiano, former California supervisor and state assembly member
“Mitchell’s excellent study of Moscone’s life and times half a century ago is surprisingly, and perhaps sadly, timely and relevant in today’s turbulent and increasingly dangerous political world.”
-Richard E. DeLeon, emeritus professor of political science, San Francisco State University
“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.”
-Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, Columbia University
“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
“A rich, yet detailed, analysis of how a major world city has managed to adapt to the economic and cultural forces of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.”
-Mitchell L. Moss, Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, New York University
Reviews
"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 chronicler 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
“A well-researched, rich in detail and local color account of man of his time before his time. Mitchell s recognition of George Moscone’s prescient instincts of progressive values is most welcomed. Moscone achievements obscured by a brutal twist of history, now revealed assiduously, with compassion and academic empathy. In today s kaleidoscopic political landscape we’ve been cheated of the humanity and evolvement of a gifted man. Whose moral compass is missed and documented by Mitchell s skill and scholarship.”
—Tom Ammiano, former San Francisco supervisor and state assembly member
"Lincoln Mitchell’s illuminating book about George Moscone’s years as mayor of San Francisco a half century ago should be eagerly welcomed by urban scholars. . , , Mitchell’s excellent study of Moscone’s life and times half a century ago is surprisingly, and perhaps sadly, timely and relevant in today’s turbulent and increasingly dangerous political world.”
—Richard E. DeLeon, emeritus professor of political science, San Francisco State University
“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. Mitchell tells a uniquely San Francisco story, while helping us understand what all American cities were facing when industry and the middle class fled to the suburbs. 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 is a valuable addition to the urban politics literature and should be read by anyone interested in the fascinating transformation San Francisco.”
—Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, Columbia University
“Three Years Our Mayor is an excellent biography of Mayor George Moscone (1929-1978) 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
“Three Years Our Mayor offers a rich, yet detailed, analysis of how a major world city has managed to adapt to the economic and cultural forces of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Mitchell has written a book that will fill a vital gap in our knowledge of San Francisco and its influence on the entire state of California and the nation.”
—Mitchell L. Moss, Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, New York University
For more information please contact Lincoln Mitchell or Caddie Dufurrena.