Bradley, Tom, 1917-1998

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1917-12-29
Death 1998-09-29
Gender:
Male
Americans,
English

Biographical notes:

Thomas Bradley was born in Calvert, TX, in 1917; his family moved to Los Angeles, CA, when he was seven years old; attended UCLA; joined LAPD, 1940; married Ethel Mae Arnold, 1941; retired from LAPD as a lieutenant, 1962; elected to LA City Council representing 10th District, 1963-73; ran unsuccessfully against Sam Yorty for mayor, 1969; became the first African American mayor of Los Angeles, 1973; re-elected to a subsequent four terms, serving as mayor until 1993; while in office, Bradley initiated low income housing projects through the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), helped reform the LAPD, strengthened downtown's economic prosperity with the introduction of the LA Produce and Flower Markets, fought offshore oil drilling, expanded the LA workforce to include women and minorities, and oversaw the introduction of a mass transist system in the Los Angeles area; he also brought the 1984 Summer Olympic Games to Los Angeles; ran unsuccessfully for Governor of CA in 1982 and 1986; retired from public office in 1993.

From the description of Administrative papers, 1963-1993 bulk 1973-1993. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 38274976

Biography

Thomas Bradley was born in Calvert, TX, in 1917; his family moved to Los Angeles, CA, when he was seven years old; attended UCLA; joined LAPD, 1940; married Ethel Mae Arnold, 1941; retired from LAPD as a lieutenant, 1962; elected to LA City Council representing 10th District, 1963-1973; ran unsuccessfully against Sam Yorty for mayor, 1969; became first African American mayor of Los Angeles, 1973; re-elected to a subsequent four terms, serving as mayor until 1993; while in office, Bradley initiated low income housing projects through the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), helped reform the LAPD, strengthened downtown's economic prosperity with the introduction of the LA Produce and Flower Markets, fought offshore oil drilling, expanded the LA workforce to include women and minorities, and oversaw the introduction of a mass transit system in the Los Angeles area; he also brought the 1984 Summer Olympic Games to Los Angeles; ran unsuccessfully for Governor of CA in 1982 and 1986; retired from public office in 1993.

Mayor Tom Bradley Chronology

1917 Born in Calvert, Texas 1924 Moved to Los Angeles with family 1936 1939 Attended UCLA with a major in education 1940 Joined Los Angeles Police Department 1956 Graduated from Southwestern Law School and passed the California Bar Exam 1961 Retired from LAPD and began to practice law 1963 Elected to City Council representing Tenth District 1967 Reelected to City Council 1969 Wins mayoral primary, but loses runoff 1973 Wins mayoral primary and runoff 1976 Co-chair of Democratic National Convention 1977 Elected to second term as Mayor of Los Angeles 1981 Wins mayoral primary with 64% of vote to gain third term in City Hall 1982 Wins Democratic gubernatorial primary, loses general election 1985 Wins fourth term as Mayor with 68% of vote 1986 Wins Democratic gubernatorial primary, loses general election 1989 Wins record fifth term as Mayor of Los Angeles 1993 Completes three decades of elected service to Los Angeles

From the guide to the Mayor Tom Bradley Administrative papers, 1973-1993, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.)

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Subjects:

  • Advertising, political
  • African American mayors
  • Afro
  • City planning
  • Local transit
  • Local transit
  • Los Angeles (Calif.)
  • Los Angeles (Calif.)
  • Los Angeles (Calif.)
  • Television advertising
  • Local transit
  • Los Angeles (Calif.)
  • Los Angeles (Calif.)

Occupations:

  • City council members
  • Lawyers
  • Mayors
  • Photographers
  • Policemen

Places:

  • California--Los Angeles (as recorded)
  • Los Angeles (Calif.) (as recorded)
  • California--Los Angeles (as recorded)
  • TX, US
  • CA, US

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