PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Los Angeles, California
including Venice
Mayors, Postmasters


Mayors of Los Angeles, 1850-2020 (may be incomplete!)
Alpheus P. Hodges 1850-51 Benjamin D. Wilson 1851-52 John G. Nichols 1852-53 Antonio F. Coronel 1853-54 Stephen C. Foster 1854-55 Stephen C. Foster 1855 Thomas Foster 1855-56 Stephen C. Foster 1856 Manuel Requena 1856 John G. Nichols 1856-59 Damien Marchessault 1859-60 Henry Mellus 1860 William Woodworth 1860-61 Damien Marchessault 1861-65 Joseph Mascarel 1865-66 Cristóbal Aguilar 1866-67 Damien Marchessault 1867 Cristóbal Aguilar 1867-68 Joel Turner 1868-70 Cristóbal Aguilar 1870-72 James R. Toberman 1872-74 Prudent Beaudry 1874-76 Frederick A. MacDougal 1876-78 Bernard Cohn 1878 James R. Toberman 1878-82 Cameron E. Thom 1882-84 Edward F. Spence 1884-86 William H. Workman 1886-88 John Bryson 1888-89 Henry T. Hazard 1889-92 William H. Bonsall 1892 Thomas E. Rowan 1892-94 Frank Rader 1894-96 Meredith P. Snyder 1896-98 Frederick S. Eaton 1898-1900 Meredith P. Snyder 1900-04 Owen C. McAleer 1904-06 Arthur C. Harper 1906-09 William D. Stephens 1909 George Alexander 1909-13 Henry R. Rose 1913-15 Charles E. Sebastian 1915-16 Frederic T. Woodman 1916-19 Meredith P. Snyder 1919-21 George E. Cryer 1921-29 John C. Porter 1929-33 Frank L. Shaw 1933-38 Fletcher Bowron 1938-53 C. Norris Poulson 1953-61 Samuel W. Yorty 1961-73 Tom Bradley 1973-93 Richard J. Riordan 1993-2001 James K. Hahn 2001-05 Antonio R. Villaraigosa 2005-13 Eric Garcetti 2013-

Events and Candidates (may be incomplete!)

  • 1860 Dec 26: Henry Mellus, died in office.
  • 1878 Nov 16: Frederick A. MacDougal, died in office.
  • 1898: Meredith P. Snyder, defeated.
  • 1904: Meredith P. Snyder, defeated.
  • 1909 Mar 11: Arthur C. Harper, resigned.
  • 1911: Job Harriman (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1913: Job Harriman (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1915 May 4: Charles E. Sebastian, nominated; Frederick J. Whiffen, nominated; Robert M. Allen, defeated in primary; Ralph L. Criswell, defeated in primary; D. C. 'Tip' Casselman, defeated in primary; H. S. McCallum, defeated in primary.
  • 1915 Jun 1: Charles E. Sebastian, elected; Frederick J. Whiffen, defeated.
  • 1916 Sep 2: Charles E. Sebastian, resigned.
  • 1917 May 1: Frederic T. Woodman, elected; Meredith P. Snyder, defeated; Henry H. Roser, defeated; Charles E. Sebastian, defeated.
  • 1919 May 6: Meredith P. Snyder, nominated; Frederic T. Woodman, nominated; Sylvester L. Weaver, defeated in primary; Gesner Williams, defeated in primary; Irene M. Smith, defeated in primary; Henry E. Small, defeated in primary.
  • 1919 Jun 3: Meredith P. Snyder, elected; Frederic T. Woodman, defeated.
  • 1921 May 3: Meredith P. Snyder, nominated; George E. Cryer, nominated; Boyle Workman, defeated in primary; William L. Smith, defeated in primary; Alfred A. Wright, defeated in primary; Hayden Morgan, defeated in primary.
  • 1921 Jun 7: George E. Cryer, elected; Meredith P. Snyder, defeated.
  • 1923 May 1: George E. Cryer, elected; Bert L. Farmer, defeated; Edward E. Moore, defeated; E. H. Hancock, defeated; Ralph L. Knapp, defeated.
  • 1925 May 5: George E. Cryer, elected; Benjamin F. Bledsoe, defeated; Miles S. Gregory, defeated; Edgar McKee, defeated; G. J. Rindler, defeated; Ralph L. Knapp, defeated.
  • 1929 May 7: John C. Porter, nominated; William G. Bonelli, nominated; John R. Quinn, defeated in primary; Perry H. Greer, defeated in primary; William La Plante, defeated in primary; Charles J. Colden, defeated in primary; Carlin G. Smith, defeated in primary; Nicholas B. Harris, defeated in primary; Lloyd S. Nix, defeated in primary; Boyle Workman, defeated in primary; Charles Hopper, defeated in primary; Ralph L. Knapp, defeated in primary; Adam C. Derkum, defeated in primary; David Horsley, defeated in primary.
  • 1929 Jun 4: John C. Porter, elected; William G. Bonelli, defeated.
  • 1932 May 3: John C. Porter, won against attempted recall; Charles W. Dempster, defeated; William G. Bonelli, defeated; D. Joseph Coyne, defeated; William Busick, defeated; James M. Hyde, defeated; Edward A. Sandler, defeated; Lyndon R. Foster, defeated; Nathaniel H. Barragar, defeated; George E. Friend, defeated.
  • 1933 May 2: Frank L. Shaw, nominated; John C. Porter, nominated; George E. Cryer, defeated in primary; Charles W. Dempster, defeated in primary; Charles S. Hutson, defeated in primary; Frank C. Shoemaker, defeated in primary; Chaim Shapiro, defeated in primary; Martin C. Neuner, defeated in primary; George H. McLain, defeated in primary; Lawrence Ross, defeated in primary.
  • 1933 Jun 6: Frank L. Shaw, elected; John C. Porter, defeated.
  • 1937 Apr 6: Frank L. Shaw, nominated; John Anson Ford, nominated; Gordon L. McDonough, defeated in primary; Carl B. Wirsching, defeated in primary; Andrae Nordskog, defeated in primary; Frank C. Shoemaker, defeated in primary.
  • 1937 May 4: Frank L. Shaw, elected; John Anson Ford, defeated.
  • 1938 Sep 16: Frank L. Shaw, recalled; Fletcher Bowron, elected; Frank L. Shaw, defeated; Alonzo Jehiel Riggs, defeated; Albert F. Osterloh, defeated.
  • 1941 Apr 1: Fletcher Bowron, nominated; Stephen W. Cunningham, nominated; Charles Kramer, defeated in primary; John C. Porter, defeated in primary; Frank L. Shaw, defeated in primary; Charles J. Husband, defeated in primary; Angie Rossitto, defeated in primary; Joseph H. Thayer, defeated in primary.
  • 1941 May 6: Fletcher Bowron, elected; Stephen W. Cunningham, defeated.
  • 1945 Apr 3: Fletcher Bowron, elected; Clifford E. Clinton, defeated; Roger W. Jessup, defeated; Ira J. McDonald, defeated; Anthony P. Entenza, defeated; Samuel W. Yorty, defeated; Oliver K. Jones, defeated; Dolores Gunn, defeated; Fred Dyster, defeated; James L. Hill, defeated; Myra Tanner Weiss, defeated; Leland E. Zeman, defeated; George R. Martin, defeated; Harvey Mosteller, defeated.
  • 1949 Apr 5: Fletcher Bowron, nominated; Lloyd Aldrich, nominated; Ellis E. Patterson, defeated in primary; Jack B. Tenney, defeated in primary; Olin E. Darby, defeated in primary; William N. Attaway, defeated in primary; Joseph E. Shaw, defeated in primary; Myra Tanner Weiss, defeated in primary; Joseph H. Thayer, defeated in primary.
  • 1949 May 31: Fletcher Bowron, elected; Lloyd Aldrich, defeated.
  • 1950 Nov 7: Fletcher Bowron, won against attempted recall; Lloyd Aldrich, defeated; Robert W. Kenny, defeated; Dean E. McHenry, defeated; James L. Cole, defeated; Russell E. Parsons, defeated; George R. Hubbard, defeated; Al Matthews, defeated.
  • 1953 Apr 7: C. Norris Poulson, nominated; Fletcher Bowron, nominated; Lloyd Aldrich, defeated in primary; Paul Burke, defeated in primary; Myra Tanner Weiss, defeated in primary.
  • 1953 May 26: C. Norris Poulson, elected; Fletcher Bowron, defeated.
  • 1957 Apr 2: C. Norris Poulson, elected; Robert Yeakel, defeated; John M. Ennis, defeated; William Carpenter, defeated; Erroll Banks, defeated.
  • 1961 Apr 4: C. Norris Poulson, nominated; Samuel W. Yorty, nominated; Patrick D. McGee, defeated in primary; Robert C. Ronstadt, defeated in primary; Howard M. Kessler, defeated in primary; William Carpenter, defeated in primary; M. Garet Miller, defeated in primary; Oscar G. Coover, defeated in primary; Wallace J. Lauria, defeated in primary.
  • 1961 May 31: Samuel W. Yorty, elected; C. Norris Poulson, defeated.
  • 1965 Apr 6: Samuel W. Yorty, elected; James Roosevelt, defeated; Patrick D. McGee, defeated; James A. Ware, defeated; James F. Bolger, defeated; Socrates Chrisoheris, defeated; Joseph W. Hawthorne, defeated; Oscar G. Coover, defeated.
  • 1969: Alphonzo Bell, defeated; Baxter Ward, defeated; Tom Bradley, defeated.
  • 1969 Apr 1: Saxon Cameron Elliott, defeated in primary.
  • 1973: Bob Dornan, defeated; Tom Bradley, elected; Jesse M. Unruh, defeated; Samuel W. Yorty, defeated.
  • 1973 Apr 3: James A. Ware, defeated.
  • 1981: Samuel W. Yorty, defeated.
  • 1981 Apr 7: James A. Ware, defeated.
  • 1985: John Ferraro, defeated.
  • 1993: Michael K. Woo, defeated; Ernani Bernardi, defeated.
  • 1993 Apr 20: Julian Nava, defeated in primary.
  • 2001 Apr 10: James K. Hahn, nominated; Addie Mae Miller, defeated in primary.
  • 2001 Jun 5: Antonio R. Villaraigosa, defeated; James K. Hahn, elected.
  • 2005 Mar 8: Antonio R. Villaraigosa, nominated; James K. Hahn, nominated; Robert M. Hertzberg, defeated in primary; Bernard C. Parks, defeated in primary; Richard A. Alarcón, defeated in primary; Walter Moore, defeated in primary; Wendy Lyons, defeated in primary; Addie Mae Miller, defeated in primary; Martin Luther King Aubrey, Sr., defeated in primary; William J. Wyatt, defeated in primary; Bruce Harry Darian, defeated in primary; Ted Crisell, defeated in primary.
  • 2005 May 17: Antonio R. Villaraigosa, elected; James K. Hahn, defeated.
  • 2009 Mar 3: Antonio R. Villaraigosa, elected; Walter Moore, defeated; Gordon Turner, defeated; David Saltsburg, defeated; Bruce Harry Darian, defeated; David R. Hernandez, Jr., defeated; Craig X. Rubin, defeated; Carlos Alvarez, defeated; James Harris, defeated; Phil Jennerjahn, defeated.
  • 2013 Mar 5: Eric Garcetti, nominated; Wendy Greuel, nominated; Kevin James, defeated in primary; Jan Perry, defeated in primary; Emanuel Pleitez, defeated in primary; Norton Sandler, defeated in primary; Addie Mae Miller, defeated in primary; Yehuda Draiman, defeated in primary.
  • 2013 May 21: Eric Garcetti, elected; Wendy Greuel, defeated.


    Postmasters at Los Angeles, 1850-1969 (may be incomplete!)
    J. Pugh 1850-51 William T. B. Sanford 1851-53 William B. Osborn 1853-55 James S. Waite 1855-58 John D. Woodworth 1858-60 Thomas J. White 1860-61 William G. Still 1861-64 Francisco P. Ramirez 1864-65 Russell Sackett 1865-66 George J. Clarke 1866-73 H. K. W. Bent 1873-77 Isaac R. Dunkelberger 1877-85 John W. Green 1885-87 Edward A. Preuss 1887-90 John W. Green 1890-92 Henry V. Van Dusen 1892-95 John R. Mathews 1895-1900 Lewis A. Groff 1900-04 Motley H. Flint 1904-10 William H. Harrison 1910-14 Harrington Brown 1914-21 Patrick P. O'Brien 1921-22 Patrick P. O'Brien 1922-34 Henry B. R. Briggs 1934-35 Henry B. R. Briggs 1935-36 Mary D. Briggs 1936-38 Mary D. Briggs 1938-45 Michael D. Fanning 1945-46 Michael D. Fanning 1946-53 Norval N. Edwards 1953-54 Otto K. Oleson 1954-55 Otto K. Oleson 1955-63 Leslie N. Shaw 1963-64 Leslie N. Shaw 1964-69


    Venice
    (annexed to Los Angeles 1926)

    Mayors of Venice, 1914 (may be incomplete!)
    E. A. Gerety as of 1914

  • "Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
    Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
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