DULUTH, Minn. — Herb Bergson, former mayor of both Duluth and Superior, Wis., died of sepsis early Thursday in hospice care. He was 65.
“Early this morning my brother Herbert W. Bergson, Jr. died due to complications from cancer surgery. At this time the family asks for privacy,” Brian Bergson, Herb’s brother, said in an emailed statement. “Herb spent his life in public service as a police officer, a LGBTQ rights advocate, Mayor of both Duluth, and Superior, WI and a celebration honoring his legacy will be held this spring.”
In an expanded Facebook post, Brian added: “His proudest accomplishment was signing the first official proclamation endorsing Gay Rights for all Duluthians.”
Herb Bergson signed the proclamation in August 2004, officially endorsing the annual Duluth Superior Pride festival and reversing former Mayor Gary Doty’s long-held position not to sanction the event.
Bergson, a former Superior police officer, served as mayor of Superior from 1987 to 1995 and then as mayor of Duluth from 2004 to 2008. He remains the only person to serve as mayor of both cities.
He saw his popularity plummet as mayor in Duluth after a high-profile 2005 car accident and drunken driving charge to which he pleaded no contest. Bergson also faced ridicule later that year when he notified city administrative assistant Mark Winson that he was fired by taping a note to Winson’s office door.
After leaving office in January 2008, Bergson lived in the Twin Cities for a few years before moving to Madison, Wis., where he managed a fraud-prevention website.
