Patrick Jerome Hillings (February 19, 1923 – July 20, 1994) was a

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 ...

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

who succeeded Richard M. Nixon in Congress. He was initially elected to

California's 12th congressional district California's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in northern California. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. She has represented ...

, which was renumbered as

California's 25th congressional district California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

prior to the 1952 election.

Early life and career

Hillings was born in 1923 in Hobart Mills, California, where he attended the public schools. He attended the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

until March 1943, when he entered the

United States Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...

. He was stationed in the South Pacific and served as a sergeant in the Intelligence Service until February 1946. Returning to USC, Hillings received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1947 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1949. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1949 and commenced the practice of law in Arcadia, California. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1964 and supported

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

(twice), Nixon, and Barry Goldwater, respectively.

Congress

Hillings was elected to the Eighty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1959) from a seat vacated by Richard Nixon when he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate in 1950. After four terms in the House of Representatives, Hillings did not seek renomination in 1958, but was an unsuccessful candidate for

Attorney General of California The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the Government of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" ( Constitution of California, Article V, Secti ...

, an office vacated by Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr. in his successful bid for

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 ...

. Hillings was defeated by Democrat Stanley Mosk, who would later become the longest-serving justice in the history of the

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...

. Hillings cast no vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Later career

After his unsuccessful bid for attorney general, Hillings resumed his law practice in Los Angeles. He served as chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Los Angeles County in 1960–61. In 1970, he ran in a special Republican primary to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Glenard P. Lipscomb in

California's 24th congressional district California's 24th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by Salud Carbajal. It contains all of Santa Barbara County, most of San Luis Obispo County, and part ...

, but was defeated for the nomination by

John H. Rousselot John Harbin Rousselot (November 1, 1927 – May 11, 2003) was a U.S. Representative from southern California. Although the territory he represented was generally the same, in eastern Los Angeles County, the district was renumbered several ti ...

, who went on to win the special general election. Hillings directed the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in 1979–80.

Retirement and death

Hillings resided in Los Angeles until his death in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

in 1994 aged 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillings, Patrick J. 1923 births 1994 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Politicians from Los Angeles California lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from California University of Southern California alumni United States Army soldiers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California USC Gould School of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians