Sophie Masloff
Encyclopedia
Sophie Masloff is an American politician. A long-time member of the Democratic Party and civil servant, she was elected to the Pittsburgh City Council
and later served as the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 1994. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold that office.
parents Jennie and Louis Friedman in the Hill District
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father died when she was two years old. She spoke only Yiddish until she began attending elementary school. She graduated from Fifth Avenue High School
in 1935, and began a job as clerk in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
in 1938, where she stayed for 38 years.
When Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri
died in office on May 6, 1988, the city charter dictated that the city council president was next in line to assume the office of mayor. Masloff assumed the office, and served out the remainder of Caliguiri's term. She was reelected in November 1989. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold the post.
Masloff, who was 70 years old when she took office, was characterized by her short stature and raspy, nasal voice, along with her ability to speak Pittsburghese (the local dialect). These attributes were quickly caricatured by political cartoonists. Her image as a "little Jewish grandmother" made her a well liked figure, even by those who disagreed with her administration. Masloff is best remembered for pop-culture malaprops. She once referred to Bruce Springsteen
as "Bruce Bedspring". When the Grateful Dead
came to Pittsburgh, she called them the "Dreadful Dead" and their fans "Deadenders". Perhaps most famously, she referred to the rock band The Who
as "The How." http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10038/1033881-155.stm
neighborhood in 1994.
After stepping down as mayor, she has served as a Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania in 1996 and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
from Pennsylvania in 2000 and 2004.
In 2007, a street near PNC Park
was named Sophie Masloff Way in honor of Masloff at her 90th birthday.
Pittsburgh City Council
The Pittsburgh City Council is the legislative body of the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts....
and later served as the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 1994. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold that office.
Early life
Masloff was born Sophie Friedman on December 23, 1917 to Romanian JewishHistory of the Jews in Romania
The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
parents Jennie and Louis Friedman in the Hill District
Hill District (Pittsburgh)
The Hill District is a collection of neighborhoods that is considered by many to be the cultural center of African-American life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an American city. Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay once called the district "the crossroads of the world," referring to the...
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father died when she was two years old. She spoke only Yiddish until she began attending elementary school. She graduated from Fifth Avenue High School
Fifth Avenue High School
Fifth Avenue High School is a defunct school located at 1800 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Bluff neighborhood.Built in 1894 as a large Romanesque/Gothic Revival building, it served the Pittsburgh Public Schools until its closure in 1976...
in 1935, and began a job as clerk in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania .The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state....
in 1938, where she stayed for 38 years.
Political career
Masloff began working as a civil servant in Pittsburgh government at the age of 18 and continued working for the city until she was elected to Pittsburgh city council in 1976. During her time on council. she was elected City Council President.When Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri
Richard Caliguiri
Richard S. Caliguiri was an American politician who served as the mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1977 until his death in 1988....
died in office on May 6, 1988, the city charter dictated that the city council president was next in line to assume the office of mayor. Masloff assumed the office, and served out the remainder of Caliguiri's term. She was reelected in November 1989. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold the post.
Masloff, who was 70 years old when she took office, was characterized by her short stature and raspy, nasal voice, along with her ability to speak Pittsburghese (the local dialect). These attributes were quickly caricatured by political cartoonists. Her image as a "little Jewish grandmother" made her a well liked figure, even by those who disagreed with her administration. Masloff is best remembered for pop-culture malaprops. She once referred to Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
as "Bruce Bedspring". When the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
came to Pittsburgh, she called them the "Dreadful Dead" and their fans "Deadenders". Perhaps most famously, she referred to the rock band The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
as "The How." http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10038/1033881-155.stm
Accomplishments in office
- Masloff's administration was forced to deal with problems such as urban decayUrban decayUrban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, a shrinking industrial sector, and crumbling infrastructureInfrastructureInfrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. - She was the first public figure to suggest that the city's baseball and football teams each have their own stadiums. Her vision was eventually implemented years after she left office. The success of retro-style ballparks such as Cleveland's Jacobs FieldJacobs FieldProgressive Field is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and the American League. Along with Quicken Loans Arena, it is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex...
and Baltimore's Camden Yards eventually led to the building of PNC ParkPNC ParkPNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
and of Heinz FieldHeinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
, a separate football stadium. - Masloff made fiscal responsibility the centerpiece of her term in office. During her administration, she privatizedPrivatizationPrivatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
numerous costly city assets including the Pittsburgh Zoo, the National AviaryNational AviaryThe National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is America's only independent indoor nonprofit aviary. It is also America's largest aviary, and the only accorded honorary "National" status by the United States Congress.-Location and features:...
, Phipps Conservatory, and the Schenley Park Golf CourseSchenley Park Golf CourseSchenley Park Golf Course, renamed Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park in 2007, is located in the rolling hills of Schenley Park between Oakland and Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is the only golf course within the city limits....
.
Electoral history
- 1989 Race for Pittsburgh MayorPittsburgh mayoral election, 1989The Mayoral election of 1989 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1989. The incumbent mayor, Sophie Masloff of the Democratic Party chose to run for her first full term after having ascended the mayor's office from the position of President of City Council upon the death of...
- Sophie Masloff (D), 100%
- Uncontested
Retirement and other achievements
Masloff declined to run for a second full term in the 1993 election and retired to her home in Pittsburgh's Squirrel HillSquirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...
neighborhood in 1994.
After stepping down as mayor, she has served as a Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania in 1996 and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
from Pennsylvania in 2000 and 2004.
In 2007, a street near PNC Park
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
was named Sophie Masloff Way in honor of Masloff at her 90th birthday.