Jesse M. Unruh: Difference between revisions
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://college.usc.edu/unruh/about/ The USC Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics biography on Jesse M. Unruh] |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110226053622/http://college.usc.edu/unruh/about/ The USC Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics biography on Jesse M. Unruh] |
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* [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/1659 Jesse Unruh Political History] |
* [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/1659 Jesse Unruh Political History] |
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* [http://www.csus.edu/calst/assembly The Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellows Program] |
* [http://www.csus.edu/calst/assembly The Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellows Program] |
Revision as of 06:45, 12 December 2017
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (November 2017) |
Jesse M. Unruh | |
---|---|
Speaker of the California State Assembly | |
In office September 1961 – January 1969 | |
Preceded by | Ralph M. Brown |
Succeeded by | Robert T. Monagan |
Member of the California State Assembly | |
In office January 1955 – January 1969 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jesse Marvin Unruh September 30, 1922 Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Virginia June Lemon (1943–1975) Chris Edwards (1986–1987) |
Children | Linda Lu, Bruce, Bradley, Robert, Randall |
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Jesse Marvin Unruh (September 30, 1922 – August 4, 1987), also known as Big Daddy Unruh, was a well-known American Democratic politician and the California State Treasurer.
Early life
Born 1922 in Newton, Kansas, Unruh served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, receiving a B.A. in political science and journalism during 1948.
Political career
Unruh's political career began as an unsuccessful candidate for the
As a national official of the Democratic Party, he often feuded with Governor of California Pat Brown (1959–67), a fellow Democrat, and was a case-study of James Q. Wilson's treatise on machine politics, The Amateur Democrat.
Unruh was California campaign manager for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and a close Kennedy associate throughout his Presidency. He was involved in convincing
Unruh left the legislature to campaign unsuccessfully for governor against Ronald Reagan during 1970. One of his campaign workers was Timothy Kraft, who a decade later was the campaign manager for the unsuccessful reelection bid of President Jimmy Carter.[1] In 1973, Unruh ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Los Angeles.
When he campaigned for state treasurer during 1974, the post was considered insignificant.[2] Unruh's radio advertisements assured voters, "Make no mistake about it, I really want this job." Once elected, Unruh politicized the office. The Wall Street Journal noted he became "the most politically powerful public finance officer outside the U.S. Treasury".[2] California pension funds were a major source of revenue for Wall Street underwriting companies, and Unruh secured campaign contributions in exchange for doing business with them. The New York Times said he had gained control of "an obscure post whose duties had long emphasized bookkeeping. In characteristic fashion, he soon transformed the job into a source of financial and political power that reached from California to Wall Street."[3] Because as Treasurer he was ex officio member of many California boards and commissions, Unruh supervised "the raising and expenditure of virtually all the state's money and consolidated his influence over billions of dollars in public investments and pension funds".[3]
He served as state treasurer from 1975 until his death from prostate cancer on August 4, 1987, 8 months into his 4th term as treasurer. Unruh remains the second longest-serving California State Treasurer, excepting only Charles G. Johnson (who served 33 years between 1923 and 1956). The University of Southern California Department of Political Science includes the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.
Personal life
Unruh's nickname "Big Daddy" apparently derives from a character in the Tennessee Williams play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Former Senate pro Tempore Jim Mills in his book "A Disorderly House" insists it was given to him by then-Assemblyman Don Allen, though perhaps from the play. Another version is that Unruh was given the nickname by Raquel Welch when the two were allegedly romantically involved, though Welch denies the claim.
Unruh was a
Unruh died of
Legacy
The California State Treasurer’s Building was rededicated and renamed the
Quotes
- On campaign contributions: "Money is the mother's milk of politics." 1966[5]
- On lobbyists: "If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money and then vote against them you've got no business being up here."[6][7]
See also
References
- ^ "Jeff Berg, "The Political Kraft", March 2008". desertexposure.com. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Dan Walters (March 2, 1988). "War of Succession for California's Bond Empire". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ a b Mark Uhlig (August 6, 1987). "Jesse Unruh, a California Political Power, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ Kenneth Reich (August 5, 1987). "From the Archives: Jesse Unruh, Key Political Figure in State, Dies at 64". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ Lou Cannon. Ronnie and Jesse. p. 99.
- ISBN 1-58648-284-X.
- ^ Matthews, Charles (November 11, 2007). "Boyarsky's 'Daddy' tells of politician with a penchant for partying". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- Cannon, Lou. Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey (New York: Doubleday,1969) LCCN 78-87099
- Herzberg, Donald G., and Jess Unruh. Essays on the State Legislative Process (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1970)
- Mills, James R. A Disorderly House, The Brown-Unruh Years in Sacramento (Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1987)
- Putnam, Jackson K (2005) Jess: The Political Career of Jesse Marvin Unruh. New York: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-3067-2.
- Boyarsky, Bill (2007) Big Daddy: Jesse Unruh and the Art of Power Politics. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21967-0
- Reich, Kenneth (August 5, 1987). "Jesse Unruh, Key Political Figure in State, Dies at 64". Los Angeles Times.
External links
- The USC Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics biography on Jesse M. Unruh
- Jesse Unruh Political History
- The Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellows Program
- SNAC: Jesse M. Unruh, California Legislator (Social Networks and Archival Context Project, University of Virginia)
- Jesse M. Unruh at Find a Grave