Parley Christensen | |
|---|---|
 Christensenc. 1920 | |
| Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the9th district | |
| In office July 1, 1939 – June 30, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Winfred J. Sanborn |
| Succeeded by | Edward R. Roybal |
| In office July 1, 1935 – June 30, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | George W. C. Baker |
| Succeeded by | Howard E. Dorsey |
| Member of theUtah House of Representatives | |
| In office 1910–1912 | |
| County Attorney ofSalt Lake | |
| In office 1904–1906 | |
| In office 1900–1902 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Parley Parker Christensen (1869-07-19)July 19, 1869 |
| Died | February 10, 1954(1954-02-10) (aged 84) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican(Before 1912) Progressive(1912–1919) Labor(1919–1920) Farmer-Labor(1920–1924) La Follette Progressive(1924–1927) Independent(1927–1937) Democratic(1937–1954) |
| Education | University of Utah(BA) Cornell University(LLB) |
Parley Parker Christensen (July 19, 1869 – February 10, 1954) was an American attorney and politician who was aUtah state representative, aLos Angeles City Council member, and theFarmer–Labor Party's presidential nominee during the1920 presidential election. He was a member of several third parties and chairman of the Illinois Progressive party.
Christensen was born on July 19, 1869, inWeston, Idaho, to Peter and Sophia M. Christensen, and was taken by them toNewton, Utah. In 1890 he graduated from theUniversity of Utah Normal School andUniversity of Deseret, then became a teacher and principal inMurray[1] andGrantsville, Utah. In 1897, he graduated fromCornell University Law School and practiced law in Salt Lake City.
From 1892 to 1895, he was superintendent of schools inTooele County, Utah. In 1895 he was secretary of the Utah constitutional convention that drafted a state constitution for submission to Congress. In the late 1890s he wascity attorney ofGrantsville, and in 1900 he was electedcounty attorney ofSalt Lake County. Between 1900 and 1904 Christensen was a Republican state officer, including party chairman. In 1902 he was defeated for renomination as county attorney, but in 1904 he was elected again to that office. Christensen unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Congress in1906,1908, and1910 against incumbentJoseph Howell.
From 1901 to 1906 he was prosecuting attorney for Salt Lake County. In 1906 he was cited to appear before a district court judge to show why he had not approved the issuance of a warrant for the arrest ofJoseph F. Smith, president ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "on a charge of sustaining unlawful relations with one of his five wives. From 1910 to 1912 he was a member of theUtah House of Representatives as aRepublican. In the latter year, Christensen joinedTheodore Roosevelt'sProgressive Party and ran as the Progressive candidate for the Utah House of Representatives. He lost, but two years later he was elected to that office as a Progressive; he served one term. He supported a number of reforms.
Between 1915 and 1920, Christensen became "increasingly involved with various left-wing and labor groups" in Utah. He helped organize the Utah Labor Party in 1919, defended several radicals incarcerated atFort Douglas, Utah, charged withopposition to American involvement in World War I. He was president of thePopular Government League, organized in 1916, which argued for adopting theinitiative and referendum in Utah.
In June 1920, Christensen was a delegate to the Chicago joint conventions of theLabor Party of the United States and the progressiveCommittee of Forty-Eight, whose leaders hoped to merge and to nominate a presidential ticket.[2] TheFarmer-Labor Party was the result, with Christensen as presidential nominee. He campaigned for nationalization of railroads and utilities, an eight-hour working day, a federal Department of Education, and an end to theEspionage andSedition Acts. In theelection, he received 265,411 votes in nineteen states.[3] Christensen did the best inWashington and inSouth Dakota, where he came close to out-polling the Democratic candidate,James M. Cox.[4]
He remained in Chicago after the convention and became chairman of the IllinoisProgressive Party and its unsuccessful candidate for US Senatorin 1926.
In 1931 Christensen moved toLos Angeles, California, where he was elected to the city council in 1935. He joined theEnd Poverty in California crusade ofUpton Sinclair and theUtopian Society. Christensen had the endorsement of the End Poverty in California movement when he won theLos Angeles City Council District 9 seat in 1935 from the incumbent,George W. C. Baker. He held the seat for two years but did not run for re-election in 1937. Two years later, however, he was sent back to the council and held the post until 1949, when he was defeated byEdward R. Roybal. In the first years of his tenure, the 9th District covered the core of downtown Los Angeles, but later, it was shifted eastward to encompass an area with a heavily Hispanic population.[citation needed]
In 1936, Christensen ran for Congress against incumbent DemocratCharles Kramer, but was defeated in the primary 57% to 30%.[5]
Christensen died at age 84 on February 9, 1954, inQueen of Angels Hospital, Los Angeles.[6][7]
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Media related toParley Parker Christensen at Wikimedia Commons| Party political offices | ||
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| New political party | Farmer-Labor nominee forPresident of the United States 1920 | Succeeded by Duncan McDonald Withdrew |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the9th district 1935–1937 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the9th district 1939–1949 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
