Beverly Joy O'Neill (née Lewis; September 8, 1930) is an American politician. She served as mayor of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

from 1994 to 2006. She is the only three-term citywide elected mayor of Long Beach, having won her third term as a write-in candidate because of Long Beach's term limits law preventing a two-term mayor from appearing on the ballot.

Life and career

O'Neill is a graduate of

Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

, and an alumnus of both

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

(B.A. 1952, M.A. 1956) and

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

( Ed.D. 1977). O'Neill's parents moved from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

to Long Beach before she was born. She married her high school beau, Bill, in 1952. O'Neill spent 31 years at Long Beach City College, beginning as a music instructor and women's advisor, and rising to the level of superintendent-president. From 2005 to 2006, she served as President of the

United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded ...

. The Beverly O'Neill Theater within the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is named for her.

References

External links

* 1930 births Living people 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century mayors of places in California 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century mayors of places in California American music educators American women music educators California State University, Long Beach alumni Long Beach City College faculty Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni Mayors of Long Beach, California Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors USC Rossier School of Education alumni Women mayors of places in California {{California-mayor-stub