Tom Bane (December 28, 1913 – April 11, 1999) was an American politician who served in 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 ...

from 1959 to 1965 and from 1974 to 1992.

Early life and education

Bane was born on December 28, 1913, in

Los Angeles 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' ...

and graduated from Burbank High School in 1932. His father was a state highway inspector and the family moved frequently. He attended

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

and one of his first jobs was working at the

Bullocks Wilshire Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a Art Deco building. The building opened in September 1929 as a luxury department store for owner John G. Bullock (owner of the more mainstream Bullock's in Down ...

department store.

Career

Bane worked at various times in the banking industry and as the head of a non-profit organization, but he is best known for his 24 years of service in the

California 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 Asse ...

, serving first from 1959-1965 and later from 1974-1992. Bane was a liberal Democrat whose district covered large parts of the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

. He was the sponsor of the

Tom Bane Civil Rights Act The Bane Act (California Civil Code § 52.1.), also known as the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act, is a civil code in California Law that forbids people from interfering with a person's constitutional rights by force or threat of violence. A lawsuit u ...

, a hate crimes law that was enacted in 1987.

Personal life

Bane was married to Claire Louise Brown in 1939, and together they had one son. Bane was married to his second wife, Marlene (Rothstein) Bane, from 1979 until his death. Together they had three children and six grandchildren.

Death

Bane died on April 11, 1999, in

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 ...

, at age 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bane, Tom 1913 births 1999 deaths Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly 20th-century American legislators