Charles Hiram Randall (July 23, 1865 – February 18, 1951), known as Charles Randall, was a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, 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 ...
and the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...
. He was the first council member to face a recall election under the present city charter. He was the only
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...
candidate ever elected to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
, in 1914.
Biography
The son of the Rev. Elias J. Randall and Sarah F. Schooley, Randall was born on July 23, 1865, in
Auburn, Nebraska
Auburn is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,470 at the 2020 census.
History
Auburn is an incorporation of two towns. Calvert and Sheridan combined to form Auburn in 1882, in part to hav ...
, where he was educated in the public schools. He published the ''Observer'' beginning in 1885 in
Kimball Kimball may refer to:
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* Kimball, Alberta
United States
* Kellogg, Iowa, formerly known as Kimball
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and edited a paper in
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
, both in that state, and various independent weeklies, from 1885 to 1892. He worked as a postal clerk with the
United States Railway Service, and in 1904, he moved to California, where he worked for two years for the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...
and then founded the ''Highland Park Herald'' in that
Los Angeles district, which he edited until 1915.
[
He was married first to May E. (or Ethel May) Stanley, in November 1885. They had a daughter, Mrs. Clyde Cassels. His wife died in November 1931, and he and Edith B. Leake then married in November 1932.][
His addresses in Los Angeles were 1263 North Mariposa Avenue (near Pico and Normandie) and then 8973 Radford Avenue, ]North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
. He was a Methodist. He died on February 18, 1951.["Randall Burial Set Tomorrow," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 13, 1931, page A-3]
/ref>
Public life
State and national
Randall was a member of 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 ...
from 1911 to 1912. In 1914, he was elected to the United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
as a member of the Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...
. Randall won 28,097 votes (30.9%), Congressman Charles W. Bell
Charles Webster Bell (June 11, 1857 – April 19, 1927) was an American politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from California from 1913 to 1915.
Biography
Born in Albany, New York, Bell attended public schools. He moved to C ...
won 27,560 votes (30.3%), Republican Frank C. Roberts won 25,176 (27.7%), and Socialist Henry Hart won 10,084 votes (11.09%). Taking advantage of California election laws at the time, Randall was re-elected in 1916 as the nominee of the Prohibition, Democratic, Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, and Progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
parties defeating Charles W. Bell (running as an independent candidate) by the margin of 58,826 to 33,270 (57.8% to 32.7%) with 9,661 votes for the Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
candidate. On Apr 5, 1917, Randall voted against declaring war on Germany. Randall was re-elected by a 38,782 to 31,689 (55% to 45%) margin over a Republican in 1918. Randall was defeated for re-election in 1920 by a Republican, by margin of 62,952 votes (60%) to 36,675 votes.
Randall ran unsuccessfully in 1922 (45,794 votes and 41%), 1924 (67,735 votes and 36% as a candidate of the Prohibition, Socialist, and Democratic parties), 1926 (61,719 votes and 38%), 1934 (18,760 votes and 14% as a Progressive), and 1940 (36,406 votes and 22% as a candidate of the Prohibition and Progressive parties).
In 1924 Randall was for a time the candidate for U.S. vice-president on the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
-sponsored American Party ticket. He withdrew in August in order to concentrate on a race for Congress in California on both the American and Prohibition party tickets.
He was also an independent candidate for the United States Senate from California in 1928, receiving 5% of the vote. Republican incumbent Hiram Johnson
Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the Governor of California, 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917. Johnson achieved national prominence in the early 20th century ...
was re-elected overwhelmingly with 71% of the vote and Democrat Minor Moore received 23%.
Los Angeles City
Randall was on the Park Commission 1909–11 and the Planning Commission 1911–12.[Biography folder, Los Angeles Public Library, via Internet]
/ref>
Randall was the first person to represent the Los Angeles City Council District 1
Los Angeles City Council District 1 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council, representing sections of Northeast Los Angeles and Northwest Los Angeles. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez is the current representative for CD 1; she ...
under the new city charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally the granting of a charter ...
of 1925. He served until 1933. The district in 1925 included all of the San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
, some of the Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...
reaching south to include the Sherman district, the Cahuenga Pass
The Cahuenga Pass (, ; Tongva: ''Kawé’nga'') is a low mountain pass through the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Hollywood Hills district of the City of Los Angeles, California. It has an elevation of . The Cahuenga Pass connec ...
, the Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains.
The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
, Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Ameri ...
, Atwater and the eastern part of the Los Feliz District south to approximately Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica Boulevard is a major west–east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County. It runs from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica near the Pacific Ocean to Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Junction in Los Angeles. It passes through Beverly Hills and West ...
. His activities were directed toward better roads, lighting systems and water and power improvements in the Valley.[
]
Elections
1925 Randall ran against four other candidates in the primary election and came in second. The results were: Charles T. Wardlaw, 3,106; Randall, 2,851; Edgar Lampton, 1,593; Arthur M. Fellows, 627; and Clara L. McDonald, 328. Randall was elected in the June final vote, 4,292 votes against Wardlaw's 3,719.
1926 The council member faced a recall election in September, the first in the city under the new charter, but the attempt failed by a vote of 3,901 to 2,595. Names on the ballot to succeed him in case the recall succeeded were John W. Cooke, assistant city engineer stationed in Van Nuys, and Greeley Kolts.["Retention of Randall Announced," ''Los Angeles Times,'' September 23, 1926, pages A-2 and A-3]
/ref>
1927 Opposition continued before the May primary election because of Randall's handling of a San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road is a major street in the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Within the Burbank city limits it is signed as San Fernando Boulevard, and north of Newhall Pass it is signed as The Old Road. It was previously designated ...
improvement district, his reputed delaying of the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge project and his changing of historic street names in the Valley, the main complaint being a change from Sherman">eneral William TecumsehSherman Way to Van Nuys Boulevard. He was elected in the primary, the votes being Randall, 4,691; John E. Lambert, who had the ''Times'' endorsement, 2,598; Frank W. Berkshire, 1,676; and Clara L. McDonald, 233.
1929 Candidates in the May primary were Randall; Truitt Hughes, 44, retired lawyer and rancher, the choice of the ''Times''; Charles G. Young, 40, an attorney; William C. McColl, 34, purchasing agent and building engineer; and Estelle C. Holman, former employee of Randall and former member of the City Planning Commission. The primary results were Randall, 4,734; McColl, 2,247; Young, 1,346; Hughes, 1,025, and Holman, 384. In the June final, Randall won over McColl, 8,529 votes to 7,375.
1931 Randall won in the May primary, 5,856 against 3,732 for William C. McColl and 888 for Frank W. Rice.
1933 Randall came in second in the May primary. The results were: Jim Wilson, 4,958; Randall, 4,889; Mark C. Sutton, 3,653; Sterling Martin, 1,661; George C. Audet, 1,074; Ray A. Schafer, 950; George Mozee, 835; and George E. Menner, 728. In the June final, he lost by almost a 2–1 margin, 15,693 votes for Wilson to Randall's 8,375.
Council presidency
Randall was elected council president on July 1, 1931, by a bare majority, and promptly "declared war in no uncertain terms" upon Mayor Porter, three Water and Power
''Water and Power'' is a 1989 experimental documentary film by Pat O'Neill.
Summary
A reflection between nature and man in Los Angeles about the city's surroundings' desertification due to enormous water consumption.
Reception
It won the Docu ...
commissioners, the "power trust." the "patent paving trust" and the seven council members who voted against him.
Controversies
1925 Angry San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
residents verbally attacked Randall when he withdrew funds that had been set aside for (1) paving and improvement of Canoga, Devonshire and Chatsworth Streets and (2) building a new road from the Valley through Beverly Glen
Beverly Glen is a neighborhood in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles, California, located around Beverly Glen Boulevard north of Sunset Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive. Stone Canyon Reservoir lies in the neighborhood.
The nei ...
to the main part of Los Angeles. He said he wanted the adjoining property owners, not the city, to pay for the work.
1926 He was accused by Charles C. Grider, president of the First Councilmanic District Civic League, of failing to keep his campaign promises to (1) immediately construct a 40-mile stretch of Riverside Drive and a "truck speedway," (2) begin construction of a high school in the district, (3) build bridges across the Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
at Fletcher Avenue, Alessandro Street, Glendale Boulevard and Dayton Street, (4) secure "immediate removal of the Los Feliz Hospital and the dairy at the foot of Alessandro Street," (5) build a school in West Atwater and enlarge the school in East Atwater and (5) widen Glendale Boulevard, Alessandro and Riverside Drive to 100 feet.
1927 Charges were made that Randall used his official position to delay the paving of seven miles of San Fernando Road in order to have the highway graded to the same level as Radford Avenue, on which Randall owned property.
1927 Randall fought against the removal from the new five-member city Planning Commission of his secretary, Estelle C. Holman, who had been appointed by Mayor George Cryer but who was ruled ineligible because she had not been a member of the former 50-member commission under the old city charter.
1928 He was overruled by the council in his desire to install seven miles of ornamental lighting posts on San Fernando Road, a move that was endorsed by the Municipal Art Commission.
1931 Randall at first voted in favor of having the city attorney appeal a judge's decision ordering the city to stop the practice of segregating its swimming pools by race—a practice that had been going on since July 30, 1925. Randall had vigorously opposed the judge's ruling, stating that it was "so sweeping" that the Playground and Recreation Commission "will not be able to designate the days when Boy Scouts can go to the mountain camps. Why, the board can't even set separate days for men and women to bathe." But just the next week, he switched his vote to a new majority decision, favoring integration, which prompted Council Member Evan Lewis—who favored the appeal—to ask the reason. Randall replied that a Negro politician had "conferred" with him and "convinced" him of his error."Vote Drops City's Pool Racial Case," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 4, 1931, page A-1
/ref>
References
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External links
*
Join California Charles Hiram Randall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randall, Charles Hiram
Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council
Members of the California State Assembly
Members of the United States House of Representatives from California
People from Auburn, Nebraska
1924 United States vice-presidential candidates
1865 births
1951 deaths
California Prohibitionists
California Independents
Prohibition Party members of the United States House of Representatives
Activists from California
Editors of California newspapers
Editors of Nebraska newspapers
20th-century American politicians