Robert Graham "Bob" Beverly (July 1, 1925 – October 14, 2009) was an American attorney and politician from California and a member of the

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 ...

Party.

Early Life

Robert Graham Beverly was born July 1, 1925, in Belmont, Massachusetts, as an only child to William Beverly and the former Helen Graham. His father, who was in the insurance business, died when Beverly was a teenager. Beverly met his future wife in high school. He followed her to Los Angeles, and they were married in 1946. After serving in the Marine Corps, mainly on the East Coast, Beverly attended UCLA, then earned a law degree at Loyola Marymount University in the early 1950s. He then moved to Manhattan Beach and started practicing law.

Political Career

In 1958, Beverly launched his political career, winning a seat on the Manhattan Beach City Council. He served for nine years, including three terms as mayor. In 1967, Beverly won a special election to 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 ...

. The 46th district was vacant due to the death of veteran incumbent

Charles Edward Chapel Charles Edward Chapel (May 16, 1904 – February 20, 1967) was an American politician and technical writer, best known for his articles and books about firearms. Early life Chapel was born in Manchester, Iowa on May 16, 1904. He studied at the U ...

. He was reelected four more times with relative ease (1967-76), serving as minority leader from 1973 until 1976. He left the assembly in 1976 to challenge state senator James Wedworth (D-Hawthorne) in a district that had been redrawn due to reapportionment. Beverly won easily, defeating the incumbent by more than 23 points. He then had little trouble holding the seat (numbered both the 27th and the 29th during his tenure) until 1992, when he won a surprisingly close race against an unknown, underfunded Democrat in a district that had been redrawn after the 1991 reapportionment. He retired from elective office in 1996, though he did serve briefly on the state Lottery Commission from 1997 to 1998.

Death

On October 14, 2009, Beverly died of complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, California, Red ...

Electoral history

References

1925 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American legislators United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly 20th-century California politicians

External links

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Election History for the State of California , - , - , - , - , - {{s-end