Three Years Our Mayor

"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 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. 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
 
“Three Years Our Mayor is an excellent biography of Mayor George Moscone 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 
 
“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 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 should be read by anyone interested in the fascinating transformation San Francisco.”
—Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, Columbia University