Alioto, Joseph L.

Alioto was San Francisco's 36th mayor, serving two terms beginning Jan. 8, 1968, and ending Jan. 1974.

Biography

Joseph Lawrence Alioto was born February 12, 1916 in San Francisco to Giuseppe and Domenica Alioto. His father, a Sicilian imimgrant, was a successful San Francisco fish wholesaler. Alioto graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Mary's College, Moraga, California, in 1937 where he was student body president and valedictorian. In 1940, he graduated Catholic University of America Law School, Washington D.C. He received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from St. Mary's College, Santa Clara University and Catholic University of America.

Married to the former Angelina Genaro from 1941 to 1977, he had six children with her. In 1978, he married Kathleen Sullivan and had two children with her. He was a philanthropist and patron of the opera, symphony, ballet and theatre as well as a fan of the 49ers and Giants.

Prior to taking public office, Alioto made a name for himself in antitrust law and was a self-made millionaire. He worked five years with the antitrust division of the United States Department of Justice before opening his own law firm in San Francisco in 1945. His practice would establish basic principles for the prosecution of private antitrust suits. In 1959, Alioto took over the Rice Growers' Association of California and ran it for 16 years. He was also a founding member and Chairman of the Board of First San Francisco Bank.

Appointed to the San Francisco Board of Education by Mayor Elmer E. Robinson in 1948, Alioto served five years. In 1955, Robinson appointed Alioto to the Redevelopment Agency which he chaired. By this time, he was active in Democratic Party politics. In 1956, he helped develop the Food for Peace Program of the U.S. Senate. In 1959, he was appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct a major survey of farm production and marketing in South America.

After a whirlwind, 56-day campaign, Joseph L. Alioto was elected San Francisco's 33rd Mayor on Nov. 7, 1967 and was inaugurated Jan. 8, 1968 with much fanfare. (His designation as 33rd mayor changed to that of 36th mayor as a result of official recognition of three additional administrations.) A moderate Democrat who reflected the tolerance of the city, he was easily re-elected in November, 1971. At one time considered as Hubert H. Humphrey's vice presidential running mate, Alioto catapulted into the national spotlight with his nomination of Humphrey as the party's presidential candidate at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. While serving as mayor, he explored a gubernatorial run in 1969, and ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 1974. Alioto was known as charming and commanding, articulate and outspoken, flamboyant and rich in personality.

Alioto's administration spearheaded economic development and jobs including a building boom, an increased police force, and a mini-park program. Although known for downtown growth, his administration also stopped freeway development, established the 40-foot height ordinance, and adopted the first urban design plan, which was aimed at protecting views and open spaces. Elected on a promise of reducing crime and taxes, Alioto took office when racial tensions were high, following the "Summer of Love." Credited with being a strong advocate of civil rights, he brought minorities into city politics. Alioto called upon the city's heavyweights of intellect, commerce, and labor to serve as deputies and advisors. He launched charter reform and mediated numerous major labor disputes, including the police and fire strike of 1975. While he lowered the property tax rate three years in a row, his years in office were marked by both inflation and recession. Political strife during his tenure included opposition to redevelopment by low-income housing and anti-high-rise proponents, the strike at San Francisco State College, hippies occupying the Haight-Ashbury, anti-war demonstrations in the streets, and racial tensions over a series of killings known as the Zebra murders.

Alioto's political career was affected by federal charges of bribery and mail fraud in 1971, and allegations of Mafia connections published in Look Magazine in 1969. He claimed the federal Grand Jury investigation into the bribery charges was politically inspired by those trying to foil his growing prominence. He successfully fought both the civil and criminal bribery charges regarding a fee kickback, and won his libel suit against the publishers of Look Magazine after seven years of litigation. In 1975, Alioto lost a conflict-of-interest trial for arranging his family's purchase of Pacific Far East Line, the largest port tenant.

Upon completing his second term in January 1976, Alioto returned to his private law practice, Alioto & Alioto. In 1992, the law firm dissolved in a family feud although his daughter, Angela Alioto, continued to practice with him. Joseph L. Alioto died on January 29, 1998, in San Francisco at the age of 81.