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- "One set of election posters [on a boarded-up building facade in Courthouse Square] read: RE-ELECT MAYOR GOLDIE WILSON. HONESTY, DECENCY, INTEGRITY. The picture beneath the inspiring words showed the face of a black man, about fifty years old with a gold front tooth."
- —From Back to the Future by George Gipe (quote, page 20)
- " Meanwhile, the counterman, who had listened to Goldie's speech with increasing frustration, finally managed to break in. "Mayor!" he said. "Ha! A colored mayor of this town! That'll be the day." / "You wait and see," Goldie returned. "Like this man here says, someday I'm gonna be mayor." / "I ain't impressed by this man here," the counterman retorted. "And as for you, just keep sweeping." / Goldie slid his hands up on the broom handle but didn't set to work immediately. "Mayor Goldie Wilson," he said softly. "I like the sound of that." / Marty smiled, rather pleased with himself for "inspiring" Goldie Wilson, or least giving him hope. "
- —From Back to the Future by George Gipe (quote, page 95)
- "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 1977[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.
Biography
In 1955, Goldie was a young busboy working at Lou's Cafe. While young Goldie was offering some advice to a teenage George McFly who had moments earlier suffered abuse at the hands of Biff Tannen and Biff's cronies (Match, 3-D, and Skinhead). Goldie stated that "Someday, I'm going to be somebody!"; Hearing this and recognizing Goldie, Marty McFly, out of excitement and impulse, accidentally told both his father and Goldie that he would be mayor. Goldie seemed inspired and took it as a compliment, and remarked "Mayor! Now THAT'S a good idea!". His boss, Lou Caruthers, scoffed at the idea that an African-American would ever be elected to public office, saying "A colored mayor! That'll be the day!", which only made Goldie more determined. He followed through with his plans to go to night school, and eventually quit his job at the Cafe to go into politics.
On October 24 1962, Goldie was pinning up posters, as he was running to be Hill Valley's district representative. One poster was pinned near the ruins of Emmett Brown's mansion, which had recently burned to the ground. He encouraged the nearby Leslie Groves and Colonel Lomax, who were looking for Brown, to vote for him. He informed them that Brown was a recluse, and that he had probably burned his mansion down for the insurance money. Groves and Lomax left, not willing to work with an insurance thief.
He was eventually elected mayor, making him "the most powerful man in Hill Valley" just as he had said he would.
As Mayor, one of Goldie's more controversial policies was sponsoring an initiative to replace the clock tower atop the Hill Valley Courthouse, which had not run since being struck by lighting on November 12 1955. This initiative was strongly opposed by the Hill Valley Preservation Society, who believed the clock should be kept as it was. The society's efforts would be successful in preserving the clock until at least 2015
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 offers some advice to George McFly.
- Back to the Future
- Back to the Future novelization
- Back to the Future Part II (Mentioned only)
- Back to the Future (IDW Publishing)
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.
References
Relatives / See also
- Mrs. Wilson (mother)
- Goldie Wilson II (son)
- Goldie Wilson III (grandson)
External links
| Mayors of Hill Valley |
|---|
| 1885: Hubert - 1931: Jack Thomas - 1955: Red Thomas - 1985: Goldie Wilson - 2015: Goldie Wilson Jr. |