Mickey Conroy, Maj. USMC Ret. (November 1, 1927 – September 20, 2005) was an American politician who served as a

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 ...

man from 1991 to 1996. Conroy once gained notoriety in the mid-1990s for sponsoring a bill that permitted the paddling of

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artists. Conroy was born in Footedale,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. After serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with the Merchant Marines and later with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, Conroy joined the Marine Corps and eventually retired with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. In a 1991 special election, the conservative Republican was elected to represent

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

's 67th Assembly District in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

to succeed Doris Allen, who had been recalled from office. Conroy was an outspoken defender of traditional American values and

fiscal responsibility A balanced budget (particularly that of a government) is a budget in which revenues are equal to expenditures. Thus, neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus exists (the accounts "balance"). More generally, it is a budget that has no budge ...

. He served as the chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. His efforts on behalf of California's veterans included leading the campaign for a veteran's national cemetery in

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

, and Orange County veterans' charities. In 1996, a sexual harassment lawsuit was brought by a former Conroy aide, Robyn Boyd. A Sacramento jury rejected sexual harassment and battery allegations against Conroy, but found him guilty of inflicting emotional distress on his accuser, Robyn Boyd. She was awarded $386,240, though the state paid a slightly lower amount, $360,000, to settle Conroy's appeal.Los Angeles Times, September 24, 2005, Jean O. Pasco , Times Staff Writer Mickey Conroy died in 2005, his wife, Ann, died in 2009. They are survived by their children; Michael and Kathy; son-in-law Larry; and grandchildren Justin, Brandon, and Jenna.

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Conroy, Mickey Republican Party members of the California State Assembly United States Marine Corps officers United States Navy sailors United States Merchant Mariners of World War II Politicians from Orange County, California Politicians from Fayette County, Pennsylvania 1927 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from Pennsylvania