Phil Hardberger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Hardberger
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|---|---|
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| Mayor of San Antonio | |
| In office June 7, 2005 – June 1, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ed Garza |
| Succeeded by | Julian Castro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Phillip Duane Hardberger
July 27, 1934 Morton, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Linda Morgan
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
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| Profession | Judge Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1955–1958 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
Phillip Duane Hardberger (born July 27, 1934) is an American politician and lawyer. He served as the Mayor of San Antonio from 2005 to 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was chosen by voters in an election where candidates do not run as part of a political party.
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Phil Hardberger's Journey
Early Life and Public Service
Phil Hardberger was born on July 27, 1934. After attending Baylor University, he joined the United States Air Force. He was a captain and flew B-47 bomber planes.
He later worked for the government. He was an important helper for the Peace Corps when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was in office. He also helped the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity under President Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1968, he married Linda Morgan. They had two daughters, Amy and Kimberlea. Kimberlea was once married to actor Tommy Lee Jones. Phil Hardberger also worked as a judge. He became an Associate Justice and then Chief Justice of the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Becoming Mayor of San Antonio
In 2004, Phil Hardberger decided to run for mayor of San Antonio. This was a surprise to many people. Usually, mayors in San Antonio had served on the city council first.
He won the election on June 7, 2005. He defeated Julian Castro, who later became mayor himself. Hardberger took over from Ed Garza. Garza could not run again because of city rules about how many terms a mayor could serve.
Leading San Antonio
During his time as mayor, a big event happened in 2005. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and the New Orleans Saints football team needed a new place to play. They moved their operations to San Antonio.
The Saints played some of their 2005 season games in the Alamodome in San Antonio. They also played at LSU's Tiger Stadium. There were talks about the Saints possibly moving to San Antonio permanently. Mayor Hardberger strongly supported this idea. Other leaders, like then-Texas Governor Rick Perry, also wanted the team to move. They even offered money to improve the Alamodome or build a new stadium.
Hardberger was re-elected as mayor in May 2007. He finished his second term in May 2009. One of his last actions as mayor was to help change the rules for mayoral terms. He helped make it possible for mayors to serve up to four two-year terms instead of just two. He was very popular when he left office, with many people approving of his work.
During his two terms, he helped San Antonio respond to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He also helped grow the city's park space by getting Voelcker Park. He started the new San Antonio River expansion project. Hardberger also helped create Haven for Hope, a new facility for people experiencing homelessness. He worked to make San Antonio a "green city" with the Mission Verde plan. He also helped redevelop Main Plaza, which is the city's original downtown area.
After Being Mayor
In December 2009, the City of San Antonio honored Phil Hardberger. They changed the name of Voelcker Park to Phil Hardberger Park. This was to recognize his leadership in improving the city's quality of life.
In January 2010, Hardberger joined Cox Smith, a large law firm in San Antonio. He helps the firm with legal cases and community work. He continued to work on projects important to San Antonio. These included the River Walk expansion and the completion of Phil Hardberger Park.
In 2017, Hardberger helped a company called Lake Assault Boats get a contract. This company, from Superior, Wisconsin, was chosen to build new sightseeing boats for the San Antonio River Walk. He worked as an attorney for the company.
This role led to a disagreement with Mayor Ivy Taylor. She thought there was a conflict of interest in how the company was chosen. However, others, like city council member Ron Niremberg, disagreed with Mayor Taylor.
