Louis J. Wilde (July 16, 1865 – April 18, 1924) was an American

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Wilde was born in

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in 1865. After living in

Rochester, NY Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in Wes ...

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, and St. Paul, Minnesota, he moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

in 1903. He intended to spend only a winter in San Diego, but liked it so well that he stayed and went into the real estate and banking businesses. In San Diego he organized four banks, built the city's first modern apartment house, built the Pickwick Theatre, raised money to complete unfinished

U. S. Grant Hotel The 'U.S. Grant Hotel'' is a historic and one of the oldest hotels in downtown San Diego, California operating under a franchise of Marriott International as part of theiLuxury Collectionbrand. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...

, and in 1914 successfully argued for renaming D Street to Broadway. He served as

mayor of San Diego The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. ...

during 1917–1921. The 1917 race was a classic growth-vs.-beautification debate. Wilde argued for more business development; his opponent, department store owner George Marston, argued for better city planning with more open space and grand boulevards. Wilde called Marston "Geranium George", painting him as unfriendly to business. Wilde's campaign slogan was "More Smokestacks", and during the campaign he drew a great smokestack belching smoke on a truck through the city streets. The phrase "smokestacks vs. geraniums" is still used in San Diego to characterize this type of debate. Wilde won, with the support of unions and business, and was re-elected two years later,. As mayor, Wilde was outspoken and not afraid to say what he thought, and had a sense of humor. Whenever he spoke, he drew crowds. During a council meeting in 1920 he grabbed a gavel and lunged at a councilman, scolding him for berating a reporter, and mashed his own finger and injured his leg. After that date he refused to enter city hall. He conducted business through a messenger from the U. S. Grant Hotel. In 1920 Wilde organized the Community Oil Well Company to drill for oil in

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

. No oil was found, and the San Diego ''Suns investigation accused the venture of improper spending. Wilde decided to not run for a third term in 1921, under a cloud of scandal. He left town and moved to

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, where he died in 1924. Wilde had two children (Donald Wilde and Richard Edward Wilde, Sr.) by his first wife, Mamie Shaffer and two children (John D. Wilde, Sr. (Jack)and Lucile Wilde) by his second wife, Frances O'Brien.

Quotes

Remember, that this is a fight to the last ditch for the wage earner, against big interests, high taxes, bond issues and expensive parks and flowers along millionaire row, against big expenditures for the pleasure of a few smug plutocrats. rguing for the laborer's vote against Marston in the 1917 electionref>

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilde, Louis J. Mayors of San Diego 1865 births 1926 deaths California Republicans