Goode, W. Wilson (Woodrow Wilson), 1938-

Woodrow Wilson Goode Sr. (born August 19, 1938) is an American community activist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 95th Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- the first African American to hold the office- from 1984 to 1992.

Born near the town of Seaboard, North Carolina, Goode moved to Philadelphia with his family in 1954. After graduating from John Bartram High School, he earned a B.A. degree from Morgan State University and an M.P.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, Goode worked as a probation officer, a supervisor of a building maintenance firm, and an insurance claim adjuster. Goode’s first foray into politics came when he managed the unsuccessful mayoral campaign of State Representative Hardy Williams in 1971. In 1979 Goode was appointed to head the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and later, between 1980 and 1983, he served in Mayor William J. Green’s administration as Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia. As city manager Wilson Goode held neighborhood meetings to address city problems and brought fiscal efficiency by streamlining functions and operations in City Hall.

Before the primary election of 1983, Green decided not to seek re-election. Goode jumped into the race and defeated former Mayor Frank Rizzo in a racially polarized primary election. Goode went on to win the general election over former Green fund-raiser and Philadelphia Stock Exchange Chairman John Egan, the Republican Party nominee. Although Goode as mayor continued his efforts to make city government more efficient, his term was marred by the MOVE incident in the Spring of 1985. Philadelphia police attempted to remove a group of black nationalists who called themselves MOVE from a West Philadelphia home after neighbors complained about their erratic behavior. They requested and received permission from Mayor Goode to use an explosive device on the roof of the building. The explosion ignited a fire which killed six adults and five children in the house occupied by MOVE. The fire then spread through the neighborhood destroying sixty two homes. Mayor Goode was blamed for the tragic episode and barely managed to survive reelection in 1987.

Goode stayed active after leaving office as mayor by holding a position in the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. He later earned a Doctor of Ministry at Palmer Theological Seminary, and became a minister and professor at Eastern University, as well as a leader of advocacy for faith-based initiatives. Goode currently serves as CEO of Amachi, a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents.