Frank Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Jordan
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| 40th Mayor of San Francisco | |
| In office January 8, 1992 – January 8, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Art Agnos |
| Succeeded by | Willie Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Francis Michael Jordan
February 20, 1935 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Wendy Paskin |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Police career | |
| Department | San Francisco Police Department |
| Years of service | 1957–1990 |
| Rank | Chief of Police (1986–1990) |
Francis Michael Jordan, known as Frank Jordan, is an American politician who served as the 40th mayor of San Francisco. Before becoming mayor, he had a long career in law enforcement. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Early Life and Schooling
Frank Jordan was born in San Francisco on February 20, 1935. He grew up in the city and went to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School. He graduated in 1953.
Later, while working as a police officer, he also attended college. He studied political science at the University of San Francisco and earned his degree in 1975.
Career as a Police Officer
Jordan's first major career was with the San Francisco Police Department. He joined the police force in 1957. Over the years, he rose through the ranks.
In 1986, the mayor at the time, Dianne Feinstein, appointed him as the Chief of Police. He led the entire department for four years. In 1990, he decided to leave his job as police chief to run for mayor.
Serving as Mayor of San Francisco
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Frank Jordan won the election and became the mayor of San Francisco in 1992. He served one four-year term, ending in 1996. A mayor is like the leader of a city, responsible for making important decisions and managing city services.
What Did Mayor Jordan Accomplish?
During his time as mayor, Jordan worked on several important projects for San Francisco.
- Keeping the Giants: He played a key role in keeping the San Francisco Giants baseball team from moving to another city.
- Improving Transportation: He helped bring the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train system to the San Francisco International Airport.
- Creating Park Space: He helped turn the Presidio, a former army base, into a national park area for everyone to enjoy.
- Managing City Money: He successfully balanced the city's budget, making sure the city did not spend more money than it had.
He also started a program called Matrix. This program was created to address the issue of people experiencing homelessness in the city.
Elections for Mayor
In 1995, Jordan ran for re-election. He faced a strong challenger named Willie Brown. After the first round of voting, Jordan and Brown were the top two candidates. They faced each other in a final run-off election, which Brown won.
Jordan tried to run for mayor again in 1999. However, he came in third place in that election.
Life After Politics
Since 2001, Frank Jordan has worked for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This is a large organization that gives money (called grants) to support projects in science, nature conservation, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Jordan acts as an advisor, helping the foundation decide which local projects to support.
Personal Life
Jordan is married to Wendy Paskin-Jordan. He has a degree in political science from the University of San Francisco. He also earned teaching credentials from the University of California.
For many years, the Jordans had a home in Santa Rosa, California. Sadly, their house there was destroyed in the large Northern California wildfires in October 2017.
