Harry Britt
Harry Britt was an American political activist and politician in San Francisco. Britt was involved during the late 1960s in the civil rights movement when he was a Methodist minister in Chicago. He was first appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in January 1979 by Mayor Dianne Feinstein, succeeding Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in City Hall along with Mayor George Moscone by former Supervisor Dan White.
Britt served as President of the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club. Additionally, he was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November 1979, 1980, 1984, and 1988 and served as President of the Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 1990. Britt was one of a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to public office.
Britt, who was openly gay, introduced domestic partner legislation in 1982, which was passed by the Board of Supervisors but vetoed by Mayor Feinstein. In 1989, under Britt's leadership, the board again passed domestic partner legislation, which was this time signed by Mayor Art Agnos. However, voters repealed the domestic partnership law by initiative; a modified version was reinstated by another voter initiative, 1990's Proposition K, also written by Britt.
Britt chose not to run for reelection in 1992.
Britt ran unsuccessfully for California's 5th congressional district in 1987, narrowly losing to Nancy Pelosi in a special election to fill the seat left when Sala Burton died, with 32 percent of the vote to her 36 percent.
He also was unsuccessful in his race against Mark Leno for the California State Assembly in 2002.
Britt directed the Weekend BA Degree Completion Program at New College of California, which closed in January 2008 due to financial problems.
After a long illness, Britt died at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco on June 24, 2020.
