William M. Wolfarth
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Michael Wolfarth (30 June 1906 – 25 March 1993 in Miami, Florida) was a commissioner and mayor of Miami.
William M. Wolfarth | |
|---|---|
| 25th Mayor of Miami | |
| In office 1949–1951 | |
| Preceded by | Robert L. Floyd |
| Succeeded by | Chelsie J. Senerchia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 30, 1906 Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri, US |
| Died | March 25, 1993 (aged 86) |
| Spouse | Mary Agnes Galhouse |
In 1936, he married Mary Agnes Galhouse of Atlanta. They had six children and celebrated the renewal of their marriage vows in 1986 at Gesu Catholic Church.
Wolfarth grew up in Chicago and moved to Miami in 1934. In 1935, he opened the first of a chain of bakeries (Cushman Bakeries). From 1949 to 1951, he was the Mayor of the City of Miami and from 1951 to 1953 he served as a commissioner (his mother-in-law, Anne Galhouse, served as his secretary). He was responsible for building the original Art Deco main public Library in downtown Miami, which was later torn down. In addition, he built the Morningside pool which still bears a plaque commemorating him. In 1959, he ran for mayor again against Robert King High on a platform to keep Miami segregated and lost the election.
Electoral history
City Commissioner
General election, Miami, FL 1949
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WM Wolfarth | 25,518 | 19.04 | |
| Perrine Palmer Jr | 24,289 | 18.12 | |
| Louie Bandel | 23,777 | 17.74 | |
| H Leslie Quigg | 22,916 | 17.10 | |
| Leonard K Thomson | 22,826 | 17.03 | |
| James A Dunn | 14,675 | 10.95 | |
| Total Votes | 134,001 | 99.98% |