Paul Lester Byrne (May 8, 1910 – August 28, 1962) served in the California State Senate for the 6th district from 1951 until his death in 1962. He was known as an advocate for farming in California.

Early life and education

Byrne was born on May 8, 1910, in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. He attended

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

and graduated from Chico State College with a bachelor of arts in 1933. He worked as the business manager for Associated Students at Chico State College, and for nine years at the Welfare Division at McClellan Field in Sacramento. In 1943, he joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and served in Hawaii during

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 opposing ...

in a headquarters unit.

Career

The Paul L. Byrne Agricultural Teaching and Research Center and the Paul L. Byrne Memorial University Farm at California State University, Chico are named after him.

Death

On August 28, 1962, Byrne died from an acute heart attack while working in his office in Chico.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Paul L. 1910 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American legislators Republican Party California state senators Politicians from San Diego California State University, Chico alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Agriculture in California United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II 20th-century California politicians