| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- "You wait and see, Mr. Caruthers. I will be mayor; I'll be the most powerful man in Hill Valley and I'm gonna' clean up this town!"
- — Busboy Goldie Wilson foreshadowing his future success in politics.
Goldie Wilson was the mayor of Hill Valley in 1985, and had been since the late 1970s[1]. His 1985 re-election campaign ads promised more jobs, better education, bigger civic improvements, and lower taxes. The slogan on his printed ads was "Honesty, Decency, Integrity." He had a gold tooth when he was a young man, although there is a disagreement as to whether he still had a gold tooth thirty years later, when he was running for re-election.[2]
Poster for Goldie's re-election in 1985.
In 1955, Goldie was a young busboy working at Lou's Cafe. While young Goldie was offering some advice to George McFly, and saying that "Someday, I'm going to be somebody!", Marty McFly accidentally told Goldie that he would be mayor . Goldie seemed inspired, and remarked "Mayor! Now THAT'S a good idea!". His boss, Lou Caruthers, laughed at the idea that an African-American would be elected to public office, saying "A colored mayor! That'll be the day!". Goldie evidently followed through with his plans to go to night school, and was eventually elected mayor, making him "the most powerful man in Hill Valley." Goldie had stated that his mother had worked 40 years and got nothing out of it[3].
Although Goldie might have been a nickname (because of his gold tooth), the name was passed on to his descendants. Sometime between 1955 and 2015, he had a son, Goldie Wilson II. In 2015, his grandson, Goldie Wilson III was a spokesperson for Statler Pontiac, advertising hover conversions for $39,999.95.
Appearances
Goldie Wilson beside George McFly.
- Back to the Future
- Back to the Future novelization
- Back to the Future Part II (Mentioned only)
Behind the scenes
George D. Carroll became Mayor of Richmond, California (population 80,000) in 1964, the first African-American to become mayor of an American city [4]. The first African-American mayor of a major American city was Carl B. Stokes, who was elected mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1967.
Notes and references
| Mayors of Hill Valley |
|---|
| 1885: Hubert - 1931: Jack Thomas - 1955: Red Thomas - 1985: Goldie Wilson - 2015: Goldie Wilson Jr. |
Relatives
- Mrs. Wilson (mother)
- Goldie Wilson II (son)
- Goldie Wilson III (grandson)