Charlotte Mailliard
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Photo- Robert Altman
Charlotte Smith Mailliard Swig Shultz is a leading figure in San Francisco. She is currently the Chief of Protocol and Director of Special Events for the city. The San Francisco Chronicle, in 1996, called her the "most powerful woman in the city." In 2007, she was named Honorary Commander of The Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II. Mailliard Shultz was also the President of the board of the War Memorial Performing Arts Center and a member of the boards of the San Francisco Symphony, Grace Cathedral, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the San Francisco Ballet. A native of Texas, Mailliard Shultz has often quipped, "...if I don't pay my dues [to this city], they may send me back to Texas."
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[edit] Biography
Charlotte Mailliard was born Charlotte Smith in Borger, Texas, where her father ran the general store. Mailliard graduated from the University of Arkansas in fashion design, marketing and merchandising. Mailliard moved to San Francisco from Texas, where she met her first husband, John Ward Mailliard III. John Mailliard would die in 1986 of cancer. In 1988, she remarried, to second husband Melvin Swig. Melvin Swig was a hotel tycoon, owning the Fairmont Hotel. As a couple, Melvin and Charlotte donated and raised numerous funds to building the new San Francisco Public Library. Swig died in 1993. In 1997, Mailliard married former Secretary of State George Shultz.
Mailliard's work as Chief of Protocol for San Francisco has been notable. Her role has been called the "city's premiere party-giver" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Indeed, as Chief of Protocol, Mailliard brought back the city's Black and White Ball, organized the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge with the Golden Gate Bridge Walk (where one million pedestrians walked across the bridge), and welcomed British royalty and Pope John Paul II on their visits to the city. Her role as Chief of Protocol began as a volunteer for then-San Francisco mayor Jack Shelley, spanning over seven mayoral administrations until then-mayor Frank Jordan's term, who chose as his Chief of Protocol, Richard Goldblum. Willie Brown re-appointed Mailliard to the post, which she currently holds today.
In 2003, San Francisco's society held a surprise party to honor her work on behalf of the city. Baseball legend Willie Mays, mayor Gavin Newsom, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were in attendance. It was announced that the staircase of San Francisco City Hall would be bestowed the "Charlotte Mailliard Shultz Staircase."
[edit] Marriage to George Shultz
Mailliard's marriage to the former Secretary of State at Grace Cathedral in 1997 was considered the Bay Area's "wedding of the year." They were introduced to each other by Senator Dianne Feinstein (George Shultz would propose to Charlotte at the Bohemian Club with a diamond, sapphire and ruby ring). Wedding guests included Nancy Reagan, Bill Bradley, Walter Annenberg, former California governor Pete Wilson, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Today, the power couple continues to dominate San Francisco social events, their public lives intersecting through their vast contacts, from attending White House state dinners to throwing a bash for Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit in 2006 at their Nob Hill penthouse at The Summit.
