The 1938 Los Angeles mayoral recall election took place on September 16, 1938 following the

recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning * Recall (memory) * ''Recall'' (Overwatch ...

of incumbent

Frank L. Shaw Frank L. Shaw (February 1, 1877 – January 24, 1958) was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. His ...

. Shaw was defeated by

Fletcher Bowron Fletcher Bowron (August 13, 1887 – September 11, 1968) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He was the 35th mayor of Los Angeles, California, from September 26, 1938, until June 30, 1953. He was at the time the city's longest-serving ...

in the election, making him the first recalled mayor in American history.John R. Babcock, "When Los Angeles Was a World-Class City of Corruption," ''Los Angeles Herald-Examiner,'' May 12, 1989, page A-19
/ref> Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

Election

Shaw had been accosted with corruption in City Hall which led to a recall movement against him and his close associates. Reformers who opposed Shaw and the '' Los Angeles Times'' both agreed that Shaw was "building the largest machine in the city's history," choosing

, a Judge of the

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

, to run against Shaw. The reformers campaigned for Shaw's recall saying that he did not do enough to stop crime and that he had supposedly committeed arious crimes during his tenure. The recall was approved by voters by a large margin, and Bowron defeated Shaw by a landslide.

Results

References and footnotes

External links

Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles
{{Los Angeles elections

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles Mayoral recall election Los Angeles 1938 Non-partisan elections

Election

Results

See also

References and footnotes

External links