David L. Lawrence

Mayor
City of Pittsburgh
1945 - 1957

In 1944, the National Municipal Review called Pittsburgh "the dirtiest pile of slag in the United States." Industrial pollution was fouling the city's rivers, floods frequently hit the downtown area, the air was very unhealthy to breath, neighborhoods were blighted by an erratic economy, and many businesses were threatening to leave the area.

A year later, David L. Lawrence was elected mayor of Pittsburgh, the first of four successive terms and unprecedented in the city's history. Although Lawrence was a dedicated Democrat and built a powerful political machine, he was pragmatic at the same time. He succeeded in forming friendships and alliances with Republicans and garnered bi-partisan coalitions for the common good. Lawrence had proposed a seven-point program for Pittsburgh during his campaign and the projects completed during his administration became known as Pittsburgh's "Renaissance I." He convinced Richard Mellon of the powerful Mellon family, among other influential community leaders, to join in a partnership to improve the city. Mellon generally favored Republican office holders, but his cooperation and involvement was critical to leading the city's renaissance.

Lawrence's accomplishments in the 13 years he served as mayor began with the organization of action groups to eliminate the smoke choking the city. Thus freed of smog, Pittsburgh has become a model of urban renewal and redevelopment with its collection of skyscrapers, a new airport, new bridges, expressways, parks, expanding universities, a new medical center, civic and cultural center, and public housing units. Fortune magazine named him one of the nine outstanding mayors of the United States in 1957, and Pittsburgh was cited as one of the 10 best-governed cities. A past president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he was the only mayor to receive its Distinguished Service Awards for "outstanding contributions to his city, state and nation."

Source: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Pioneers
Rachel Carson
Maurice K. Goddard
Howard Heinz
Richard King Mellon
Gifford Pinchot