Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Provenance
Processing Information
Related Materials
Biography
Scope and Contents
Organization
Arrangement
Conservation Note
Separated Materials
Materials Removed from Collection
Appendix: List of Members of Administration
Title: Joseph L. Alioto papers
Date (inclusive): 1958-1977
Date (bulk): 1968-1974
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 5
Creator:
Alioto, Joseph L.
Physical Description:
37 cubic feet
(36 boxes, 1 map folder, 6 oversized volumes)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Abstract: This collection documents the two-term
administration of Mayor Joseph L. Alioto during the years of 1968 to 1976, with the bulk of
the collection covering the years 1968 to 1974. The papers provide a broad, policy-level
view of the Alioto years. The collection is rich in housing and redevelopment
files.
Physical Location: The collection is
stored on site.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.
Access
Collection is available for research during San Francisco History Center hours. Previously
restricted housing documents in Box 8, Folder 41 and Box 9, Folders 2, 4, and 5, were
released in July of 2021. The names of minors have been redacted in police reports in Box
16, Folders 12 and 32.
Publication Rights
Copyright has been assigned to the San Francisco Public Library. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City
Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library
as the owner of the physical items and the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joseph L. Alioto Papers (SFH 5), San Francisco History Center,
San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA.
Provenance
Initial collection transferred from City Hall. Additional materials received from
University of the Pacific in 2018, and from Carolyn Gray Anderson in 2020.
Processing Information
Processed by Tami J. Suzuki in 2001. Additional materials received in 2018 and 2020 were roughly processed and added to the
collection in
2021.
Related Materials
See also the John Hawkins Anderson papers (SFH 590). Researchers are encouraged to see also
the San Francisco History Center's subject and biographical files, other mayoral
collections, and the Historical Photograph Collection, and to check the catalog holdings of
the San Francisco Public Library for related materials.
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.
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the two-term administration of Mayor Joseph L. Alioto during the
years of 1968 to 1976, with the bulk of the collection covering the years 1968 to 1974.
Reflected in the collection is the mayor's trust in his deputies, which included a former
White House fellow, former staff member of the federal Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and a Democratic Party operative, as well as in other key strategists and
advisors including business, labor and community leaders.
Materials include internal and constituent correspondence, reports, surveys, minutes,
strategy and policy memoranda and notes, speeches and drafts, press releases, campaign
ephemera, and reference material. Subjects include the Black Panthers, building a downtown
stadium, San Francisco State University unrest, the 1975 police and fire strike, school
busing, taxes, salary standardization, and revenue sharing. The collection provides a broad,
policy-level view of the Alioto years. The collection is rich in housing and redevelopment
files, reflecting the federal subsidies received while Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White
House, as well as community resistance to redevelopment.
Staff included four deputies (executive secretary, press/confidential secretary,
development, and social programs); a public service director, assistant deputies
(development and social programs), and a special assistant. At least two staffers left City
Hall to work on Alioto's 1971 re-election and 1974 gubernatorial campaigns, with one of them
later returning to his administration. See Appendix for a list of administration members and
dates of their employment.
Materials were added (in 2021) to Subseries 2C, John H. Anderson; Subseries 2E, Public
Service Director; and Series 6, Constituent Correspondence. These documents span 1968-1975,
with the bulk dating 1974-1975.
Some gaps exist in the collection. There is little relating to Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART), which saw completion of the transbay tube in 1974; the 1972 Market Street facelift;
the 40-foot height limit ordinance; and the Urban Design Study and Plan. Records documenting
the final two years of Alioto's administration consist of press releases and constituent
correspondence.
Organization
The collection is organized into six series: Series 1. Biographical and Office
Re-organization; Series 2. Legislative and Issue Files; Series 3. Press and Speeches; Series
4. Schedule; Series 5. Campaigns and Politics; and Series 6. Constituent Correspondence.
The Legislative and Issues Files series has been further organized into subseries by staff
member. The Public Service Director subseries has been further organized by the two staff
people serving in that role. The Press and Speeches series has been organized into subseries
by format.
Arrangement
The collection is mostly arranged alphabetically by subject.
Conservation Note
During processing, the entire collection was refoldered and re-housed in acid-free folders
and boxes. Some metal staples remain. Some documents on acidic or thermal paper were
photocopied onto Permalife bond paper. After this process, originals were discarded. Other
documents on acidic paper were kept in their original state and separated with either
Permalife bond or Apollo buffered paper. Fabric items were wrapped in buffered tissue.
Separated Materials
Photographs were removed to the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, Alioto Box
20.
Materials Removed from Collection
Approximately twenty 19th-century letters and invoices or ledger sheets, belonging to a
John Joseph Martone and originally belonging to a Malcom McNeill of Christian County,
Kentucky, were transferred to Special Collections and Archives, University of Kentucky.
Appendix: List of Members of Administration
Administration members and approximate dates of service, compiled from Directory of City
and County Officers, May 1968-April 1975.
Deputies
- John A. De Luca, Executive Secretary (1968-1976)
- Hadley R. Roff, Press Secretary/Confidential Secretary to Mayor (1968-1971)
- Thomas G. Flynn, Confidential Secretary/Director of Information (1971-1974 and
1974-?)
- William E. O'Brien, Interim Director of Information/Interim Director of Public
Services (1974 and 1974-1976?)
- James B. Burleson, Executive Aide (1973-?)
- William C. Roddy, Public Service Director (1968-1974) and Special Assistant
(1974-1976)
- Wesley Slade, Special Assistant, Housing and Relocation (1968-1975) and Director,
Office of Special Projects and Rent Supplement, 1975-1976
- John H. Tolan, Jr, Deputy for Development (1968-1976)
- John H. Anderson, Assistant Deputy for Development (1968-1973)
- Stanley R. Larsen Assistant Deputy for Development (1973-1976)
- Revels H. Cayton, Deputy for Social Programs (1968-1973?)
- Patricia M. Kimball, Assistant Deputy for Social Programs (1971)
- Joseph A. Meza, Assistant Deputy for Social Programs (1972-1973?) and Deputy for
Social Programs (1973-1976)
- Joseph Johnson, Assistant Deputy for Social Programs (1973) and Deputy for
Neighborhood Development (1974-1976)
Roff became Alioto's re-election campaign consultant in 1971. Flynn served as director of
information for the Alioto for Governor campaign in 1974.
Administrative Assistants
- John L. Mootz, Administrative Assistant (1968-1971)
- John C. Farrell, Administrative Assistant (1971-1972)
- George J. Grubb, Administrative Assistant (1972-1974
- Michael McCone, Appointment Secretary (1968-1969)
- Ann H. Racich, Personal Secretary (1968-1974)
Selected Program and Agency staff
- Michael McCone, Director, Model Cities (1972)
- Charles E. Countee, Director, Model Cities (1973)
- John Watts, Executive Director, Model Cities, (1974-1976)
- Dean Macris, Director, Community Development, (1973-1974) and Director of Planning,
City Planning Commission (1975-1976)
- James Jacquet, Director, Community Development, (1974-1975)
- Mark Buell, Director, Economic Development, (1975-1976)
- Eunice Elton, Director, Manpower Planning and Research (1972-1976)
- Nathan B. Cooper, Controller (1968-1974)
- John C. Farrell, Controller (1975-1976)
- Thomas J. Mellon, Chief Administrative Officer (1968-1976)
- Eneas J. Kane, Exectuve Director, Housing Authority (1968-1976)
- M. Justin Herman, Executive Director, Redevelopment Agency (1968-1971)
- Robert L. Rumsey, Executive Director, Redevelopment Agency (1972-1974)
- Arthur F. Evans, Executive Director, Redevelopment Agency (1974-1976)
- Allan B. Jacobs, Director of Planning, City Planning Commission (1968-1974
- Bernard F. Schussel, Director, Office of/Commission on Aging (1972-1974?)
Legislative Representative, Federal
- Stanford Research Institute/Virginia, 1968-70
- Robert E. Josten/D.C., 1971-74
- James A. Lyons, Jr./D.C.,1975
Legislative Advocate, State
- John F. Shelley, 1986-1974
- McMorris M. Dow, 1975
Subjects and Indexing Terms
City planning--California--San Francisco.
City planning districts--California--San Francisco.
Urban policy--California--San Francisco.
Housing policy--California--San Francisco.
Labor unions--California--San Francisco.
Labor disputes--California--San Francisco.
Political science -- Public Policy.
San Francisco (Calif.)--Politics and government--20th
century.
Alioto, Joseph L.
Alioto, Joseph L.--Archives.
Black Panther Party.
San Francisco State College--History.
San Francisco State
University--History.