Herman Goldner
Herman Wilson Goldner 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.
Early life
Goldner was born on November 12, 1916, in Detroit, Michigan. He received his undergraduate degree at Miami University, law degree at Western Reserve University, and business degree from Harvard Business School. 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 [United States presidential election|1964 election], he refused to support Barry Goldwater and instead endorsed Lyndon B. Johnson. 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.