Frederick Francis Houser (November 14, 1904 – December 25, 1989) was an American politician and judge. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he served as 34th

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 ...

under

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

from 1943 to 1947.

Early years

Houser was born in Los Angeles, California on November 14, 1904, the son of California

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

Justice Frederick W. Houser and Sara Wilde, both of whom were active participants in the early years of what is now the

USC Gould School of Law The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated with ...

. Houser was raised in Alhambra, California, and graduated from the

University of Southern California at Los Angeles , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

in 1926. He taught government at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

while attending

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

from 1926 to 1929, and he graduated with an LL.B. Houser was admitted to the bar in 1930, and practiced law until 1946. Houser was UCLA's student body president from 1925 to 1926, served as president of the UCLA

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students (alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), ...

1933–1935, and won the school's Edward A. Dickson

Alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of the Year Award in 1948.

Career

From 1926 to 1940, Houser was a member of the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee. From 1930 to 1940, he served on the California Republican State Central Committee. He served in 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 1931 to 1933 and again from 1939 to 1943. Houser was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1932, 1934, and 1936. In 1942, Houser was elected lieutenant governor. He served until 1947, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1944, losing narrowly to incumbent

Sheridan Downey Sheridan Downey (March 11, 1884 – October 25, 1961) was an American lawyer and a Democratic U.S. Senator from California from 1939 to 1950. Early life He was born in Laramie, the seat of Albany County in western Wyoming, the son of the ...

Judge

After leaving the lieutenant governor's office, Houser was appointed as a judge of the California Superior Court. He served from 1947 until retiring in 1966.

Retirement and death

In retirement, Houser was a resident of

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservat ...

. He died in Laguna Beach on December 25, 1989.

Family

In 1925, Houser married Dorothy Eleanor Bodinus, a fellow UCLA student. She died in 1996, and they had no children.

Notes

Sources

Internet

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Newspapers

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External links

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Join California Frederick F. Houser
# 1904 births 1989 deaths California state court judges Republican Party members of the California State Assembly University of California, Los Angeles alumni Harvard University faculty Lieutenant Governors of California People from Alhambra, California 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges Harvard Law School alumni 20th-century American politicians {{California-CAAssembly-stub