Alfred E. Alquist (August 2, 1908 – March 27, 2006) was a California politician.

Biography

Born in 1908 in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of a

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immigrant who worked for the railroads, Alquist was barely a teenager when he started carrying water to railroad work crews. He became a timekeeper, switchman, brakeman and conductor, before serving with the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during World War II. He was a

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for the

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when he and his first wife, Mai Alquist, moved to San Jose, California in 1947. Alquist was elected to the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

in 1962, and four years later, the State Senate, where he served for 30 years. A forceful and savvy state legislator, he chaired the powerful Senate Finance Committee for 15 years. He also routinely chaired the two-house conference committee that wrote the final version of the state budget before it went to the Assembly and Senate floors. He was the Democratic nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of California The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to l ...

in 1970 but was defeated by incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor

Edwin Reinecke Howard Edwin "Ed" Reinecke (January 7, 1924 – December 24, 2016) was an American politician from California. He served three terms in the United States House of Representatives. He was the 39th state lieutenant governor from 1969 until his ...

. He was perhaps best known for his co-authorship of the landmark 1974 law, known as the Warren-Alquist Act, which created the California Energy Commission and became a national model. In the legislature, Alquist also helped to establish the Santa Clara County transit system, the state's earthquake safety programs OSHPD and

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, and the state Energy Commission. A pragmatic

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, he earned a reputation for helping the poor and representing the interests of labor. When term limits forced him to retire in 1996, he was the Legislature's ranking member. Alquist died of pneumonia in Sacramento, California, in 2006. He was 97 years old. A state office building in downtown San Jose, which he had advocated to get built, is named for him. His second wife,

Elaine Alquist Elaine Kontominas Alquist (born August 21, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Democratic state senator from California's 13th Senate District. Prior to serving in the Senate, she served in the California State Assembly for six years. The ...

, served in both the State Assembly and State Senate before and after his death, representing much of the same territory her husband had. She held his same Senate seat for two terms, from 2004 to 2012.

External links

Alfred E. Alquist Papers
at San Jose State University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alquist, Al 1908 births 2006 deaths California state senators Members of the California State Assembly United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee Politicians from San Jose, California United States Army Air Forces soldiers Spouses of California politicians Yardmasters 20th-century American politicians Deaths from pneumonia in California

Biography

See also

External links

References