Lucretia del Valle Grady (October 18, 1892 — May 23, 1972) was a

Californio Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...

political activist, suffragette, and actress. Born to

Reginaldo Francisco del Valle Reginaldo Francisco del Valle (December 15, 1854 – September 20, 1938) was a Californio statesman and lawyer, who served as a member of the California Senate and California Assembly. He was the youngest ever President pro tempore of the C ...

, noted Angelino statesman, Lucretia became an important

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

official, serving as vice chair of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

and as delegate for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to the

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

of 1928, 1936, 1940, and 1956.

Early life

Lucretia Louise del Valle was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the daughter of Reginaldo Francisco del Valle and Helen May White del Valle. Her father, a California state senator, owned

Rancho Camulos Rancho Camulos, now known as Rancho Camulos Museum, is a ranch located in the Santa Clara River Valley east of Piru, California and just north of the Santa Clara River, in Ventura County, California. It was the home of Ygnacio del Valle, a Calif ...

. Her grandparents

Ygnacio del Valle Ygnacio Ramón de Jesus del Valle (July 1, 1808 – 1880) was a Californio ranchero and politician. He owned much of the Santa Clarita Valley and served briefly as Mayor of Los Angeles and as a California State Assemblyman. Early life Del ...

and

Ysabel del Valle Ysabel del Valle (March 21, 1837 – March 28, 1905) was a philanthropist and rancho owner, and the matriarch of a large Californio family. She was a model for the rancho matron character "Señora Moreno" in Helen Hunt Jackson's novel ''Ramona'' ...

owned much of the

Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County, its main population center is the ...

."Lucretia del Valle Grady Christens S.S. President Cleveland"
SCVHistory.com.

Career

Beginning in 1912, Lucretia del Valle starred as Doña Josefa Yorba in about 850 shows of a popular outdoor pageant at

Mission San Gabriel Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, '' The Mission Play''. A large painting of del Valle in this role,

Guy Rose Guy Orlando Rose (3 March 1867 – 17 November 1925) was an American Impressionist painter and California resident, who received national recognition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life and education Guy Orlando Rose was b ...

's ''The Leading Lady'' (1914), hangs at the

San Diego History Center The San Diego History Center is a museum showcasing the history of San Diego, located in the city's Balboa Park. Description and history Founded in 1928 by businessman and civic leader George W. Marston, the San Diego Historical Society was h ...

, in Balboa Park. Also in 1912, she appeared in ''The Landslide'', a contemporary drama by Austin Adams, which ran in Los Angeles. Henry F

Del Valle left acting for political work, first with her father, and then with her husband, but also in her own right. Lucretia del Valle Grady was a California delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1928, 1936, 1940, and 1956. She was vice chair of the

in 1937, when her husband Henry Grady became assistant Secretary of State, and the couple moved to

Washington D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1946, she christened the S. S. President Cleveland, a large passenger liner. She was active as a diplomat's wife when Henry Grady became the first United States Ambassador to the newly independent India in 1947. Henry Grady was ambassador to Greece in 1948, where Lucretia became the first woman named an honorary citizen of Athens;"Lucretia Grady, Democratic Party Aide; Twice Seconded FDR Nominations"
''The Washington Post and Times-Herald'' (May 25, 1972): B6. and in 1950 the couple were in Iran, where Lucretia Grady promoted women's rights, including suffrage.

Personal life and legacy

Lucretia del Valle married economist and shipping magnate Henry Francis Grady in 1917. They had four children; their daughter Patricia Louise Grady married diplomat

John Paton Davies, Jr. John Paton Davies Jr. (April 6, 1908 – December 23, 1999) was an American diplomat and Medal of Freedom recipient. He was one of the China Hands, whose careers in the Foreign Service were ended by McCarthyism and the reaction to the loss o ...

Lucretia Grady was widowed in 1957, and died in 1972, aged 79 years, in

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...

, from a heart attack. Del Valle Avenue in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

is named for Lucretia del Valle Grady. Some of her papers and photographs are in the Forster-del Valle Family Papers, at the University of California Irvine.Manuel Escamilla
''Guide to the Forster-del Valle Family Papers MS.R.048''
(UCI Libraries).

References

External links

*
A photograph of Lucretia del Valle Grady
in the California Historical Society Collections at the University of Southern California Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grady, Lucretia 1892 births Californios 1972 deaths American actresses 20th-century American women 20th-century American people California Democrats Politicians from Greater Los Angeles Democratic National Committee people