John L. Harmer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 40th Lieutenant Governor of California | |
| In office October 4, 1974 – January 6, 1975 | |
| Governor | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Edwin Reinecke |
| Succeeded by | Mervyn Dymally |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate from the21st district | |
| In office January 2, 1967 – October 4, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Richard J. Dolwig |
| Succeeded by | Newton Russell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1934-04-28)April 28, 1934 Salt Lake City,Utah, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 2019(2019-12-06) (aged 85) Bountiful, Utah, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 10 |
| Education | University of Utah George Washington University |
| Occupation | California State Senator, attorney |
John Loren Harmer (April 28, 1934 – December 6, 2019) was an Americanpolitician who served in theCalifornia State Senate as aRepublican from 1966 to 1974. Harmer served as the 40thlieutenant governor of California from 1974 to 1975. He was also the founder of the Lighted Candle Society and the author of several books. Harmer was also a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
John L. Harmer was born in 1934 inSalt Lake City,Utah.[2] His parents were Earl W. Harmer and Mabel Spande. He was one of their five children.[3] Harmer attended theUniversity of Utah. While there, Harmer was part of the Frosh Handbook committee in 1954, that helped inform new freshmen about college life at the university. They made sure freshmen were aware of school events and activities.[4]: 45 He was involved with debate, and was an intramural debate finalist in 1954.[4]: 51 Harmer was part of the Phi Eta Epsilon fraternity.[5]: 261 He was also one of the school's Vigilantes. These vigilantes were campus policemen who played roles in student government. They were also responsible for being judges for school elections.[5]: 272
Harmer later obtained a law degree fromGeorge Washington University.[6] Harmer was involved with the student court, serving as the Chief Justice of the student court in 1959.[7] He married Carolyn Jonas on June 24, 1960, in theLos Angeles Temple and the couple had 10 children. Harmer was a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1][8] Throughout his life, Harmer has been interested inastronomy.[9]
Harmer was a member of theRepublican Party. He first entered politics by participating inDwight D. Eisenhower's political campaign in 1952.[10] He was later an aide toU.S. SenatorWallace Bennett hired through theU.S. Department of the Interior'sBureau of Land Management. After, Harmer worked as an attorney inGlendale, California.[11] Before his election as a state senator, Harmer was also the director of public affairs with the National Association of Manufactures; he also worked for the Americans for Constitutional Action as a field representative.[10] In 1966, Harmer was a member of the Republican State Central Committee, State Central Committee, United Republicans of California, as well as being part of California Republican Associates,Young Republicans, and Republican Associates. By this time, he had also founded theSan Fernando Valley Business and Professional Association.[10]
Harmer served in theCalifornia State Senate as aRepublican from 1966 to 1974.[2] He was first elected to the Senate for a two-year term in 1966, following aU.S. Supreme Court decision requiring states to reapportion the upper houses of their legislatures on the basis of population. Even-numbered districts elected their senators for full four-year terms in this election; as Harmer's district number was 21, he had to run again in 1968. He won and was re-elected in 1972.
During his time in the Senate, Harmer co-authored SB 462, the Therapeutic Abortion Act, along with Anthony Beilenson, Alan Short, and Lewis F. Sherman. This act permitted a physician or surgeon to perform an abortion in cases of rape or incest, or when doctors determined that the pregnancy "would gravely impair the physical or mental health" of the mother. He also was a regent of theUniversity of California and served as a trustee of the California State University System. He chaired the Legislature Select Committee on Large Urban School Districts.[12]
Harmer ran for stateattorney general in 1970 and lost the primary; during that campaign, he sought permission to film a Los Angeles production ofOh! Calcutta! to gather evidence for a suit to prevent "irreparable damage to the morals of the community.".[13]
In 1974 Harmer won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor. The incumbent, RepublicanEd Reinecke, had run for governor instead of seeking re-election, but lost the gubernatorial primary after he was indicted forperjury in aWatergate scandal-related matter.[14] When Reinecke was forced to resign as lieutenant governor on October 4, 1974,GovernorRonald Reagan appointed Harmer to fill the vacancy, allowing him to run as the incumbent in the upcoming general election.[9] Harmer resigned from the state Senate and became California's40th lieutenant governor.[2] In that year dominated by Watergate, though, Harmer's candidacy may not have been helped by a reference to him as "one of the legislature's most conservative members.".[15][8] On November 5, Harmer lost toDemocratic nomineeMervyn M. Dymally (with whom Harmer had just recently served in the state Senate), 46.3%-49.2%. After just three months since his appointment, the term ended and Harmer left the lieutenant governor's office on January 6, 1975.[2]
He ran for the United States Senate in 1976, but lost the primary, receiving only 8.5% of the vote.[2]
He and his family moved toBountiful, Utah in 1980 and later moved toLindon, Utah. In Utah, Harmer was appointed the chairman of the National Center for Constitutional Studies. He also worked as a private attorney. He fought to eliminate indecency on cable television programs. In 1988, he was appointed chairman of Eyring, Inc.[12]
In 1999, Harmer traveled toMoscow, Russia as an attorney and was briefed in theU.S. Embassy on theSoviet Union's plans to usegerm warfare against the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. This experience influenced him to write the bookEre His Floods of Anger Flow.[9]
Harmer became vice president ofGeely-USA, the American Division of the Chinese car maker Geely that along withChery is one of the first Chinese automobile manufacturers to export to North American shores.[16] Harmer founded the Lighted Candle Society in 2001.[2] He served as chairman of the Lighted Candle Society, an organization opposed topornography, and has filed briefs with theUnited States Supreme Court against pornography.[17]
Harmer authored several books includingWe Dare Not Fail (1968),Among the Living Are the Dead (1970), andThe Sex Industrial Complex (2007).[2] He also wroteReagan: Man of Principle.[18]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of California 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
