Louis J. Wilde

Who was Louis J. Wilde?

Louis J. Wilde was an American banker and Republican politician from California. Wilde was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1865. After living in Rochester, NY, Philadelphia, and St. Paul, Minnesota, he moved to San Diego in 1903.

He intended to spend only a winter in San Diego, but liked it so well that he stayed and went into the real estate and banking businesses. In San Diego he organized four banks, built the city's first modern apartment house, built the Pickwick Theatre, raised money to complete unfinished U. S. Grant Hotel, and in 1914 successfully argued for renaming D Street to Broadway.

He served as mayor of San Diego during 1917–1921. The 1917 race was a classic growth-vs.-beautification debate. Wilde argued for more business development; his opponent, department store owner George Marston, argued for better city planning with more open space and grand boulevards. Wilde called Marston "Geranium George", painting him as unfriendly to business. Wilde's campaign slogan was "More Smokestacks", and during the campaign he drew a great smokestack belching smoke on a truck through the city streets.