Editing Fred Hofheinz

{{Short description|American politician (born 1938)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Fred Hofheinz
| image               = Fred Hofheinz UH.jpeg
| caption             = Fred Hofheinz campaigning at the [[University of Houston]], 1973
| office              = 55th [[List of mayors of Houston|Mayor of Houston]]
| term_start          = January 2, 1974<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonarthistory.com/a-houston-timeline-19721985|title=A Houston Timeline 1972-1985|access-date=December 20, 2023|website=Houston Art History}}</ref>
| term_end            = January 2, 1978
| predecessor         = [[Louie Welch]]
| successor           = [[Jim McConn]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1938|3|15}}
| birth_place         = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = Linda Hickerson
| father              = [[Roy Hofheinz]]
| children            = 2
| relatives           = [[Roy Hofheinz Jr.]] (brother)<br />[[Susan Hart]] (sister-in-law)
| residence           = [[Houston, Texas]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of Texas]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])<br>[[University of Houston]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
| occupation          = 
| profession          = [[Lawyer|Attorney]]
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''James Fred Hofheinz''' (born March 15, 1938) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the [[List of mayors of Houston|55th mayor of Houston, Texas]], from 1974 to 1978.

Hofheinz's father, [[Roy Hofheinz|Roy]], was mayor of the city in the 1950s.

==Early life==
Hofheinz graduated from [[Lamar High School (Houston)|Lamar High School in Houston]], where he was a championship debater and also lettered in track and field. He attended the [[University of Texas]], earning a [[Bachelor of Arts]] [[summa cum laude]] in 1960 and continued at Texas to earn both [[Master of Arts]] and [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degrees in economics.<ref name="WBAProfileHofheinz"/>  While an undergraduate at Texas, he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. Hofheinz earned a [[Juris Doctor]] from the [[University of Houston]] in 1964.<ref>[http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth248969/m1/1/ Hofheinz profile, at University of North Texas]</ref> 

==Career==
Hofheinz was elected in 1973 as mayor by 3,000 votes, with one of his pledges being to fire police chief [[Herman Short]], who had been chief of the city since 1964 and had a reputation as both a supporter of [[George Wallace]] and a racist. Short, perceiving Hofheinz as too liberal, resigned that year.<ref>https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HPD-history-shows-problems-not-new-for-department-2100056.php {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> Hofheinz replaced Short in January of 1974 with [[Carroll Lynn]]. That same year, Hofheinz was named one of "200 Faces for the Future" by''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= |date=1974-07-15 |title=Special Section: 200 Faces for the Future |url=https://time.com/archive/6817107/special-section-200-faces-for-the-future/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-20 |title=Police in Houston Pictured as Brutal and Unchecked |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/06/13/police-in-houston-pictured-as-brutal-and-unchecked/bacdbded-3265-4e79-ac5a-48ed6e47ad23/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> However, Hofheinz accepted Lynn's resignation (replacing him with B. G. Bond) in 1975 after an investigation by Lynn found numerous department irregularities (such as illegal police wiretapping) that led to discord with rank-and-file officers and had opponents waiting to face Hofheinz to use it against him in the upcoming election, which Hofheinz won. Dogged by questions about police management (particularly in regards to perceived brutality in certain cases), Bond resigned in June of 1977, weeks after the [[Murder of José Campos Torres|body of José Campos Torres]] was found floating in the Bayou after being beaten to death by officers, of which Bond had fired three involved and had two of them charged with murder (in the fall of that year, the officers on trial received probation). Hofheinz left office in 1978.

After his two terms as mayor, Hofheinz practiced law in Houston. He also served as a board member at Lucas Energy, an independent crude oil and gas company.  In 1971, Hofheinz co-founded the closed circuit television company Top Rank.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120911032328/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS122252+19-Sep-2008+GNW20080919 Reuters press release]</ref> Hofheinz ran again for mayor in 1989 against incumbent mayor [[Kathy Whitmire]] (running for her fifth two-year term after having already beaten a former mayor in [[Louie Welch]] four years prior). Hofheinz had a lead in the polls at one point but Whitmire on election day won with 60% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=1989-11-08 |title=The 1989 Elections; Houston Councilman Out |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/08/us/the-1989-elections-houston-councilman-out.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-27 |title=IN HOUSTON, 5TH MAYORAL TERM |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/11/03/in-houston-5th-mayoral-term/cd1bfb96-92f7-4bb9-aa46-2f4fb0d6d2c8/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

In 1994, Hofheinz was the sole shareholder of Top Rank when it attempted to purchase the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] and [[Minnesota Timberwolves failed relocation to New Orleans|move them to New Orleans]], which had the combined efforts of Louisiana politicians and boxing promoter [[Bob Arum]] of [[Top Rank]] in their attempt to buy the team.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krawczynski |first=Jon |title=The long days and wild nights that saved the Wolves from leaving Minnesota |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1939924/2020/08/06/timberwolves-sale-glen-taylor-1994-minnesota-new-orleans/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="June 7, 1994">{{cite news| last =Roesler| first =Bob| title =Top Rank files to move Wolves| work =The Times-Picayune| page =E4| date =June 7, 1994}}</ref> The deal fell through when NBA owners voted unanimously to reject the sale, citing concerns about the firmness of Top Rank's finances.<ref name="June 16, 1994MN">{{cite news| last =Weiner| first =Jay| title =Wolves to stay put, for now; In stunning upset, NBA blocks sale of team| work =Star Tribune| page =1A| date =June 16, 1994}}</ref> In 1999, he was indicted in the state of Louisiana as part of the investigation of former governor [[Edwin Edwards]]. Hofheinz was one of three businessmen (one a longtime associate of Edwards) indicted on charges of bribery, with Hofheinz delivering bribes to Cecil Brown (a longtime associate of Edwards) meant to advance projects (as overseen by Hofheinz) such as building a juvenile prison and the effort to move the Timberwolves to New Orleans. On November 21, 2000, Hofheinz reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that saw him plead guilty in failing to report a felony and testify against Collins in exchange for all other charges being dropped; he was issued a fine of $5,000 and sentenced to one year of probation.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1999-11-30 |title=Ex-Houston Mayor Indicted in Louisiana Bribery Case |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-30-mn-39000-story.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=2000-11-23 |title=National News Briefs; Guilty Plea in Bribe Case For Houston Ex-Mayor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/23/us/national-news-briefs-guilty-plea-in-bribe-case-for-houston-ex-mayor.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Texas Federal District Judge Throws Out VitaPro Convictions {{!}} Prison Legal News |url=https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2006/jul/15/texas-federal-district-judge-throws-out-vitapro-convictions/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.prisonlegalnews.org}}</ref>

Hofheinz currently resides in Houston. Formerly, he had served as an [[Lawyer|attorney]] in the [[law firm]] of Williams, Birnberg & Andersen L.L.P.<ref name="WBAProfileHofheinz">[http://www.wba-law.com/About_Us/Our_Attorneys/Fred_Hofheinz/ Fred Hofheinz profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210195604/http://www.wba-law.com/About_Us/Our_Attorneys/Fred_Hofheinz/ |date=February 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Find a Lawyer |url=https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_A_Lawyer&template=/Customsource/MemberDirectory/MemberDirectoryDetail.cfm&ContactID=172216 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.texasbar.com}}</ref>

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|  title=[[Mayor of Houston, Texas]]
|  before=[[Louie Welch|Louis Welch]]
|  after=[[Jim McConn]]
|  years=1974–1978
}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Mayors of Houston}}

== External links ==
* Hofheinz, Mayor Fred and Frank Michel. [http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/60 Mayor Fred Hofheinz Oral History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010145704/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/60 |date=October 10, 2016 }}, Houston Oral History Project, February 11, 2008.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hofheinz, Fred}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Houston]]
[[Category:Mayors of Houston]]
[[Category:Lamar High School (Houston) alumni]]
[[Category:University of Houston alumni]]
[[Category:Texas lawyers]]
[[Category:Texas Democrats]]


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