Harvey at an unknown date

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]

Biography

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]

References

  1. ^ a b Filosa, Gwen (February 28, 2016). "Here is the name of Key West's new city hall in 9 words". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Queen Takes a Break From Tour to Visit Florida Island". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 1991. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e "'Wild Willie' is part of the history of Key West". St Petersburg Times. May 27, 2001. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Parade memorializes Wilhelmina Harvey, matriarch of Florida Keys". Florida Times-Union. May 12, 2005. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d "Wilhelmina Celeste Goehring Harvey". Florida Commission on the Status of Women.
  6. ^ Myers, Britt (October 9, 2015). "Credit union marks 75th year of business". Keys Weekly. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  7. ^ Sloan, David L.; Casey, Matthew Sean (2003). Haunted Key West / Strange Key West. Phantom Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780967449838.
  8. ^ "History of the Conch Navy". Conch Republic Navy. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  9. ^ Shearer, Victoria (2008). It Happened in the Florida Keys. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 82–83. ISBN 9781461746850.
  10. ^ "Election Results: September 2, 1986 Primary Election". Florida Department of State’s Election Reporting System. Florida Department of State: Division of Elections.
  11. ^ "Election Results: September 30, 1986 Runoff Election". Florida Department of State’s Election Reporting System. Florida Department of State: Division of Elections.
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