Edwin M. Lee, a well-respected civil rights lawyer who became the first Asian-American to be elected as mayor of San Francisco, died early on Tuesday of undisclosed causes, his office said. He was 65.
“It is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that Mayor Edwin M. Lee passed away on Tuesday, December 12 at 1:11 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Family, friends and colleagues were at his side,” his office said in a statement.
Mr. Lee had been mayor since January 2011 when, after weeks of disputes, the Board of Supervisors elected him by a 10-to-1 vote as the interim leader of a city in which roughly a third of the residents are of Asian descent.
After consistently expressing a reluctance to hold the job on a permanent basis, Mr. Lee entered the electoral race in August 2011 and was elected in November, becoming mayor at a time of tremendous change for the city as the technology industry became increasingly influential.
Under the city’s rules, London Breed, the president of the Board of Supervisors, became the acting mayor.