Jesse Unruh | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1975 | |
| 26thTreasurer of California | |
| In office January 6, 1975 – August 4, 1987 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown George Deukmejian |
| Preceded by | Ivy Baker Priest |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Whitney |
| Minority Leader of the California Assembly | |
| In office January 1969 – September 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Robert T. Monagan |
| Succeeded by | Robert T. Monagan |
| 54thSpeaker of the California State Assembly | |
| In office September 19, 1961 – January 6, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Ralph M. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Robert T. Monagan |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the65th district | |
| In office January 3, 1955 – January 4, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | John W. Evans |
| Succeeded by | David C. Pierson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jesse Marvin Unruh (1922-09-30)September 30, 1922 Newton, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 1987(1987-08-04) (aged 64) |
| Cause of death | Prostate cancer |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Jesse Marvin Unruh (/ˈʌnru/UN-roo;[1] September 30, 1922 – August 4, 1987), also known asBig Daddy Unruh, was an American politician who served as speaker of theCalifornia State Assembly and as theCalifornia State Treasurer. He was a liberal[2]Democrat.
Born September 30, 1922, inNewton, Kansas, Unruh served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. After the war, he enrolled at theUniversity of Southern California, receiving aBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science andjournalism in 1948.[3]
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Unruh's political career began as an unsuccessful candidate for theCalifornia State Assembly in 1950 and 1952. He was elected as a member of the Assembly on his third attempt in 1954. In 1956, he was an unsuccessful candidate for a Democraticpresidential elector for California. In 1959, he wrote California'sUnruh Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination by businesses that offer services to the public and was a model for later reforms enacted nationally in the 1960s and 1970s. Unruh was Speaker of theCalifornia State Assembly from 1961 to 1969 and a delegate toDemocratic National Convention from California in 1960 and 1968.
While serving as speaker of the California Assembly in the 1960s, Unruh used, according to one observer, “his political clout to stretch budget appropriations for education, to push through social legislation to better the plight of the poor, and to reorganize California's Legislature into a full-time professional institution.”[4]
As a national official of the Democratic Party, he often feuded withGovernor of CaliforniaPat Brown (1959–1967), a fellow Democrat, and was a case-study ofJames Q. Wilson's treatise on machine politics,The Amateur Democrat.
Unruh was California campaign manager forJohn F. Kennedy in 1960 and a close Kennedy associate throughout his presidency. He helped convince SenatorRobert F. Kennedy to enter the 1968 presidential race and managed his California campaign. Kennedy won the California primary, butwas assassinated in Los Angeles shortly after his victory speech. After an unsuccessful effort, managed by Unruh and MayorRichard J. Daley of Chicago, to draft SenatorEdward M. Kennedy, Unruh released California delegates to vote their conscience and announced that he would supportEugene McCarthy at the1968 Democratic National Convention.
U.S. PresidentLyndon Johnson once described Unruh as "probably one of the most selfish men" he had met in politics.[5]
Unruh left the legislature to unsuccessfully run for governor againstRonald Reagan in1970. One of his campaign workers wasTimothy Kraft, who a decade later was the campaign manager for the unsuccessful reelection bid of PresidentJimmy Carter.[6] In 1973, Unruh ran unsuccessfully forMayor of Los Angeles.[7]
When he campaigned for state treasurer in 1974, the post was considered insignificant.[8] Unruh's radio advertisements assured voters, "Make no mistake about it, I really want this job." Once elected, Unruh politicized the office.The Wall Street Journal noted he became "the most politically powerful public finance officer outside the U.S. Treasury".[8] California pension funds were a major source of revenue for Wall Street underwriting companies, and Unruh secured campaign contributions in exchange for doing business with them.The New York Times said he had gained control of "an obscure post whose duties had long emphasized bookkeeping. In characteristic fashion, he soon transformed the job into a source of financial and political power that reached from California to Wall Street."[9] Because as Treasurer he was anex officio member of many California boards and commissions, Unruh supervised "the raising and expenditure of virtually all the state's money and consolidated his influence over billions of dollars in public investments and pension funds".[9]
He served as state treasurer from 1975 until his death fromprostate cancer on August 4, 1987, 8 months into his 4th term as treasurer. Unruh remains the second-longest-serving California State Treasurer, behind onlyCharles G. Johnson, who served 33 years between 1923 and 1956.
TheUniversity of Southern California Department of Political Science includes the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.
Unruh's nickname "Big Daddy" apparently derives from a character in theTennessee Williams play,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Former Senate President pro TemporeJim Mills in his bookA Disorderly House insists it was given to Unruh by then-AssemblymanDon Allen.
Unruh was aProtestant and belonged to theAmerican Legion. He married twice, and had five children.
He died ofprostate cancer at his home inMarina Del Rey, California, on August 4, 1987.[10] He is buried inSanta Monica, California.
The California State Treasurer's Building was rededicated and renamed theJesse M. Unruh State Office Building by GovernorGeorge Deukmejian on August 19, 1987.
The California State Capitol building's hearing room #4202 currently holds a picture of Jesse M. Unruh.[11]
The California State Assembly Fellowship Program was renamed the Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program to honor the former Assembly Speaker and State Treasurer.[12]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the California State Assembly September 1961 – January 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer ofCalifornia January 6, 1975 – August 4, 1987 | Succeeded by Elizabeth Whitney Acting |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of California 1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Milton G. Gordon | Democratic nominee forTreasurer ofCalifornia 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 | Succeeded by |
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