Alexander Gilbert "Buzz" Bainbridge (September 4, 1885 – March 14, 1936) was a theater manager who also served as the 31st mayor of Minneapolis.

Life and career

Bainbridge was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1885. At the age of 17 he began working as a bill poster for the Sells-Forepaugh Brothers Circus. He later advanced to working as a press agent for the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He also worked with theaters in Chicago during summers and with The 101 Ranch Wild West Show during the winter. He later relocated to Minneapolis and, from the 1920s through the 1930s, he managed the Shubert Theater. He also founded and managed a company of actors called the Bainbridge Players which became one of the city's leading theater ensembles. In 1933, Bainbridge surprised many by challenging incumbent mayor

William A. Anderson William A. Anderson (October 19, 1873 – December 12, 1954) was a politician and judge who served as the 30th mayor of Minneapolis. Life and career Anderson was born to Daniel and Cynthia Anderson on October 19, 1873 in Adams County, Wisconsi ...

. Playing on his theatrical roots, he announced his candidacy on

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

while standing under a ladder with an open umbrella and his fingers crossed. Campaigning on ideas like creating government projects to fight unemployment and attracting more tourists and businesses to the city, Bainbridge defeated Anderson in an upset. During Bainbridge's term in office, tensions between the city's labor unions and the anti-union Citizen's Alliance led to a

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

. Bainbridge sided with the Citizen's Alliance and, through his police chief Michael Johannes, authorized the police to try breaking up the strike. In the ensuing clash, two union picketers were killed and more than 60 were injured by police. Bainbridge faced calls for his resignation due to the violent response. After the strike was resolved and the union's demands were met, he lashed out at the unions and accused them of being communists. Bainbridge was defeated by

Thomas E. Latimer Thomas Erwin Latimer (April 6, 1879 – November 6, 1937) was an American lawyer who served as the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1935 to 1937. His mayoral term coincided with a period of labor unrest in the ...

in his 1935 re-election bid and died one year later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bainbridge, A. G. 1885 births 1936 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Minnesota Mayors of Minneapolis Politicians from Pittsburgh Minnesota Republicans American anti-communists