Wilhelmina Celeste Goehring Harvey (1912 - May 3, 2005) was a philanthropist and the first female mayor of Monroe County, Florida. A "grand dame of Keys politics", she was frequently a public face of the Conch Republic.[1] Outside of politics, she was a science teacher and scuba diver.[2]
She was born in 1912 to one of Key West's original families.[3][4] By 1935, she was a science teacher and taught summer school at Tulane University. She graduated from Florida State College for Women in 1937.[5] She served as treasurer and board member of a local volunteer credit union (later Keys Federal Credit Union) in the 1940s.[6] She married C.B. Harvey, who served as mayor of Key West in the 1950s.[3]
Harvey earned a master's degree in public administration in 1980.[5] In 1982, she was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in its first year.[5] She served as the first female mayor and the first female commissioner of Monroe County, and was the first to be elected Mayor Emeritus.[7][5]
In April 1982, citizens of Key West formed the Conch Republic, a satirical micronation, in response to a Border Patrol checkpoint that disrupted travel and tourist activity. Harvey became Admiral and First Sea Lord of the Conch Republic's navy, whose actions included attacking a Coast Guard cutter with loaves of stale Cuban bread.[8][4] The Conch Republic became a Key West mainstay as a tourist attraction and a humorous method for the city to negotiate with state and federal governments. During the 1995 "invasion", she stopped and accepted surrender from Army Reserve troops.[9] She often served as the Republic's ambassador and met several presidents and foreign leaders in that capacity.[3] In 1991, she hosted Queen Elizabeth at Dry Tortugas National Park, acting as both Monroe County mayor and Conch Republic ambassador.[3][2]
In 1986, she ran for Florida House of Representatives from the 120th District, ultimately losing to Ron Saunders in the Democratic primary runoff.[10][11] In 1997, the Monroe County commissioners voted to name the new county government building as Harvey Government Center at Historic Truman School after Harvey and her husband.[1] In November 2000, she lost her re-election bid as Monroe County Commissioner, but remained a popular local figure.[3]
Harvey died on May 3, 2005, at the age of 93. She received a large public funeral.[4]