Irving Wieder dead at 86

Andrew Edwards

Irving Wieder, husband to former Huntington Beach Mayor Harriet

Wieder died on June 8 of injuries sustained in a household accident.

Irving Wieder, 86, was in good health before he suffered a

hemorrhage after a fall, Harriet Wieder said, recalling that her

husband, an Orange County entrepreneur, was known by his friends for

his physical strength.

“He had been a prizefighter, and what everybody remembers was his

strong grip that could bring you to your knees,” she said.

Harriet Wieder was the more public partner in their 63-year

marriage, serving as a member of the Huntington Beach City Council

and Orange County Board of Supervisors. In political matters, Irving

Wieder usually stayed behind the scenes, though his wife frequently

consulted with him on civic matters.

“He was my sounding board for politics,” Harriet Wieder said, also

calling him her “secret weapon.”

Her husband never had any troubles keeping a low profile while she

pursued a political career, she said.

“He was a man ... he didn’t have a problem being Harriet’s

husband,” she said. “He was all man.”

Irving Wieder’s business was international trade, and he owned

Trans-Oceanic Traders, an importing firm. Harriet Wieder recalled

that her husband traveled to Asia to pioneer the trans-Pacific toy

market.

The Wieders moved to Surf City in 1973 from Los Angeles, where

Harriet Wieder had been an assistant to Mayor Sam Yorty.

Harriet Wieder’s political successes were commemorated in April

when the Harriet M. Wieder Regional Park was opened.

Irving Wieder is also survived by two children, Leland Wieder and

Gayle Tauber. Funeral services were held at the Mount Sinai Memorial

parks and Mortuaries in Hollywood Hills.