| George Gascón | |
|---|---|
| District Attorney of San Francisco | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Kamala Harris |
| Chief of the San Francisco Police Department | |
| In office August 7, 2009 – January 9, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Heather Fong |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Godown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 (age 57–58) Havana, Cuba |
| Nationality | Cuban/American |
| Political party | Democratic (since 2011)[1] |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (before 2009)[1] |
| Residence | San Francisco, California |
| Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach Western State University College of Law |
George Gascón (born 1954) is the District Attorney of San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed him to that post on January 9, 2011, to succeed Kamala Harris, who had been elected California Attorney General in November 2010.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Gascón and his family, whom he describes as "strong anti-communists", fled to the United States in 1967 and settled in Bell, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. After dropping out of Bell High School, Gascón served in the United States Army from 1972 to 1975 and earned his high school diploma. In 1978, Gascón joined the Los Angeles Police Department. He then became a sales manager at a Ford Motor Company dealership and pursued higher education.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in history from California State University, Long Beach and a juris doctor from Western State University College of Law.[3] In 1987, he became a full-time police officer again and rose to the ranks of Assistant Police Chief and Director of the Office of Operations. In 2006, Gascón became the chief of the Mesa, Arizona police department.[4]
Gascon was chief of the San Francisco Police Department from August 7, 2009, to January 9, 2011, succeeding Heather Fong.[3] He was replaced by Greg Suhr, who was sworn in on April 27, 2011
From 1973 to 1975, Gascon served in the US Army and received an honorable discharge as a Sergeant (E-5).
Gascón has been an active member of the California State Bar since 1996.