Herbert William Bergson (September 16, 1956 – February 10, 2022) was an American politician who was the mayor of

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, and

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, the only person to have served as mayor in both cities. Bergson was elected mayor of Duluth in 2003, taking a two-way race with 57 percent of the vote over local businessman Charlie Bell. He succeeded

Gary Doty Gary Doty (born February 5, 1948) is an American politician from Duluth, Minnesota, and a former mayor of that city. Early life Doty was born in Duluth to parents Russell and Naomi Doty, and was educated in the public school system there before ...

, who retired from the office after serving three terms. Bergson lost his bid for re-election in a crowded 12-candidate primary in September 2007. He had run unsuccessfully for the office in 1999. He served on the

Duluth City Council The Duluth City Council is part of the governing body of the City of Duluth, which is located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The council is part of a Mayor–Council Government The mayor–council government system is a system of local governme ...

from 2001 until his election as mayor. From 1987-1995, Bergson was the mayor of

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, Duluth's

Twin Ports The Duluth MN-WI Metropolitan Area, commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of Lake Superior (the weste ...

sister city across

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. He had been a police patrolman when he unseated the incumbent mayor. After leaving office, Bergson returned to active duty as a

police detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

in Superior. In December 2005, Bergson pleaded no contest to a drunk driving charge after crashing a vehicle into a bridge near

Spooner, Wisconsin Spooner is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,573 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the southwest corner of the Town of Spooner, with a small portion extending into the Town of Beaver ...

and suffering a concussion and other injuries. At a Duluth City Hall news conference several days later, Bergson said, "I have no desire to drink alcohol. I've decided that I'll never drink again". In May 2012, Bergson was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was arrested in September 2013, resulting in four charges, including drunk driving and driving with an open container. In February 2018, Bergson was arrested after crashing his car into a tree in

Douglas County, Wisconsin Douglas County is a county located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,295 Its county seat is Superior. Douglas County is included in the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistica ...

and leaving the scene. He was charged with obstructing an officer and failure to install an ignition interlock device, which is related to previous convictions for driving under the influence. Bergson died from complications of surgery on February 10, 2022, at the age of 65.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergson, Herb 1956 births 2022 deaths American municipal police officers Politicians from Superior, Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Mayors of Duluth, Minnesota Minnesota city council members Minnesota Democrats

See also

References