Frank Bogert

Frank Mitchell Bogert (January 1, 1910 – March 22, 2009) was an American cowboy, professional rodeo announcer, author, and politician best known as the longtime mayor of Palm Springs, California.

Frank Bogert
8th & 15th Mayor of Palm Springs
In office
April 1958 – January 1966
Preceded byGerald K. Sanborn
Succeeded byGeorge Beebe, Jr.
In office
April 1982 – April 1988
Preceded byJohn Doyle
Succeeded bySonny Bono
Member of the City Council
In office
1958–1966
Personal details
Born(1910-01-01)January 1, 1910
Mesa, Colorado, U.S.
DiedMarch 22, 2009(2009-03-22) (aged 99)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican

Born in Mesa, Colorado to Henry Kneeland Bogert and Adaline Esther Mitchell, he was raised in the California mountain town of Wrightwood in San Bernardino County. He was a rodeo colleague and distant relative to cowboy artist Earl W. Bascom.

Bogert arrived in Palm Springs in 1927, becoming the city's first chamber of commerce manager in 1939. In the later 1930s he was the manager of the Palm Springs Racquet Club.[1]

In 1958, Bogert was elected to the Palm Springs City Council, becoming mayor soon after, serving for eight years. He was elected to the position for two more two-year terms in 1982.

Bogert worked closely with Gene Autry to bring the California Angels to Palm Springs for spring training. In 1987 he wrote a book, Palm Springs: First Hundred Years,[2] a favorite of famous area resident Bob Hope.

In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[3]

Section 14 Indigenous Land
Main article: Palm Springs, California § Section 14 eviction

As Mayor of Palm Springs in the mid-1960's, Bogert was an advocate for the eviction of non-Native Americans from Section 14, a tract of land held by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians but leased to others. The city directed that the tribe terminate short-term leases granted to them and used city funds to clear the land for redevelopment, including burning the homes.[4] The evicted residents of Section 14 were mostly Black and Latino who did not want to move.[5]

The Palm Springs Human Relations Commission cited this history, as well as a conflict of interest while Bogert acted as conservator for tribal land which was being demolished by the city, and alleged racist comments regarding the "poor Blacks" who lived in Section 14, as justification for removing a statue of Bogert on horseback[6] placed in 1990 in front of the Palm Springs City Hall.[7] The City Council of Palm Springs ordered its removal in 2021 and formally apologized for the eviction of the Section 14 residents.[8] After legal objections to its removal from Bogert's supporters and family members were rejected by the courts, the statue was relocated on July 13, 2022.[9]

View of South Palm Springs near the Frank Bogert Trailhead

Bibliography
  • View From the Saddle: Characters Who Crossed My Trail. Palm Springs: ETC Publications. 2006. p. 232. ISBN 978-0882801582. LCCN 2005049514. OCLC 62110026. LCC F869.P18 B65 2006
  • Palm Springs: First Hundred Years. Palm Springs: Palm Springs Library. 2003 [1987]. p. 288. ISBN 978-0961872427. OCLC 51059207.
  • Prickly Pears : Interviews with Billie Lipps and Tommy Lipps Von Mastrigt (VHS). Palm Springs Library: Portraits of Historical Palm Springs, No. 54. 1989. OCLC 40933409.
  • Anthony Burke. Palm Springs: Why I Love You. Palm Desert: Palmesa. 1978. OCLC 5346893.
  • Lawrence Culver. Frontier of Leisure: Southern California and the Shaping of Modern America. New York: Oxford University Press. 2010. pp. 157-159. ISBN 9780195382631.

References
  1. Rippingale, Sally Presley (1984). "The Thirties". The History of the Racquet Club of Palm Springs. Yucaipa, CA: US Business Specialties. p. 146. LCCN 85226534. OCLC 13526611.
  2. Palm Springs: First Hundred Years. Palm Springs: Palm Springs Library. 2003 [1987]. p. 288. ISBN 978-0961872427. OCLC 51059207.
  3. Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated
  4. Holland, Gale (2022-11-30). "Black and Latino residents burned out of Palm Springs seek city reparations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  5. "'City-engineered holocaust': Musician [Alvin Taylor] reflects on boyhood home". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  6. Thropay, Caitlin (2020-06-24). "Petition to remove Frank Bogert's statue; Palm Springs Historical Society and Jack Jones, friend of Bogert respond". KESQ. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  7. Biography and news of Bogert's death at Mydesert.com(subscription required)
  8. Ingrassia, Jake (2021-09-30). "Palm Springs to apologize for Section 14 destruction; moves forward with process to remove Frank Bogert statue". KESQ. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  9. Talkington, Mark (2022-10-11). "Legal case around removal of Frank Bogert statue from in front of City Hall stopped in its tracks after judge's ruling". The Palm Springs Post. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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