Robert Lagomarsino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Leader | Bob Michel |
| Preceded by | Clair Burgener |
| Succeeded by | Vin Weber |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia | |
| In office March 13, 1974 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Charles M. Teague |
| Succeeded by | Michael Huffington |
| Constituency | 13th district (1974–75) 19th district (1975–93) |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate | |
| In office October 10, 1961 – March 13, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | James J. McBride |
| Succeeded by | Omer Rains |
| Constituency | 33rd district (1961–1966) 24th district (1966–1974) |
| Mayor ofOjai, California | |
| In office December 8, 1958 – October 9, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Monroe Hirsch |
| Succeeded by | Ralph R. Bennett Jr. |
| Member of theOjai City Council | |
| In office 1958–1961 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert John Lagomarsino (1926-09-04)September 4, 1926 Ventura, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 7, 2021(2021-02-07) (aged 94) Ojai, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Norma Jean |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (BA) Santa Clara University (JD) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Robert John Lagomarsino (September 4, 1926 – February 7, 2021) was an American politician and lawyer fromCalifornia who served in theUnited States House of Representatives. ARepublican, he began his service in theUnited States House of Representatives in 1974 and was re-elected every two years until 1992, when he was defeated for renomination byMichael Huffington. Before serving in the House, Lagomarsino served in theCalifornia State Senate from 1961 until 1974, and before that, he served as the mayor ofOjai, California.[1]
Born and raised inVentura, California, Lagomarsino was the son of Emilio Lagomarsino and Marjorie (Gates) Lagomarsino.[2] He attended the schools of Ventura and was a 1944 graduate ofVentura High School.[3][4] He served as a pharmacist mate in theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and was a veteran ofWorld War II.[3][5] He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1950 from theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara and in 1953 he received a J.D. from theSanta Clara University School of Law.[6][7] He wasadmitted to the bar in 1954 and practiced law in Ventura.[8]
In April 1958, Lagomarsino was elected to the Ojai City Council.[9] In December 1958, his council peers chose him to serve as mayor.[10] He held this office until resigning in late 1961 to enter the California Senate.[11][12]
In the California Senate, Lagomarsino's most significant legislative achievements included the Garrigus-Lagomarsino Act (1963),[13] which authorized vocational education centers in each county of the State; the California Child Anti-Pornography Act (1969); the Marine Resources Protection Act (1970); the California Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation; the Jury Reform Act (1972); the Consumer Protection Act (1972), which authorized cities to create anti-fraud units; and the Welfare Reform Act (1973). By the time he was elected to the United States Congress, the senior ranking senator from Southern California and a member of the five-person Senate Rules Committee, after having served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildlife.[14]
In 1974, CongressmanCharles Teague, of what was then California's 13th congressional district, where Lagomarsino resided, died suddenly. Lagomarsino was elected to replace Teague as the 13th district congressman in a special election in 1974. He was the only Republican in a 1974 special election to hold a district for his party.[15]
During his service as a United States Congressman, Lagomarsino was an active member of two major House Committees: theForeign Affairs Committee, as the third-ranking Republican and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, as the second-ranking Republican. He was a Congressional Observer to the Geneva Arms Controls Talks and Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, which oversaw U.S. relations withCanada,Central America, andSouth America. He was also Chairman of the National Republican Institute for International Affairs, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Task Force onAfghanistan, and a member of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Committee. In addition, Lagomarsino served as Chairman of the POW/MIA Task Force and was the House author of a measure creating thePrisoner of War Medal.
Lagomarsino made several trips abroad as a congressman. He toured South America, the Far East, the Pacific Region, theSoviet Union, andEurope numerous times, but held a particular interest in Southeast Asia; meeting with theLaos government in 1989 and, later, theVietnamese government in 1990, to obtain information on AmericanPOW/MIA's in Southeast Asia. He toured thePanama Canal as part ofPresident Carter’s diplomacy and observed Panama's national elections andKuwait invasion underPresident Bush. Lagomarsino also attended annual interparliamentary conferences inMexico and on the European continent.
During his service in Washington, Lagomarsino specialized in environmental concerns, foreign affairs (particularlyLatin America), and illegal drug trafficking. He authored legislation that created theChannel Islands National Park, the Dick Smith Wilderness Area, theLos Padres National Forest, and co-authored the Drug War Bond Act and the Violent Crime and Drug Control Act. He was a leader in efforts to open overseas markets to U.S. products and to ban the transfer of strategic goods or technology. Lagomarsino maintained a voting record of 99% and took pride in voting against all proposed congressional pay raises.
Before the 1992 congressional elections, a congressional reapportionment plan placed Lagomarsino's residence within the congressional district of fellow RepublicanElton Gallegly. Rather than run against Gallegly, Lagomarsino moved to the22nd District, part of which he already represented, and ran for re-election there. He was challenged in the Republican primary by millionaireMichael Huffington, who defeated Lagomarsino by nearly seven percentage points.[16]
Lagomarsino was a long-time advocate of establishing a state college in his nativeVentura County. His goal came to fruition in 2002, with the establishment of theCalifornia State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). A collection of papers, memorabilia, and furniture Lagomarsino had previously donated to the Venturasatellite campus of theCalifornia State University, Northridge was transitioned to CSUCI. In 2002, the university's library formally established the Robert J. and Norma M. Lagomarsino Department of Archives and Special Collections.[17]
Lagomarsino continued to be active, serving on numerous community boards in and aroundSanta Barbara County and Ventura County, and on the Board of the California Center for Public Policy.[18] He and his wife Norma (d. 2015) lived inVentura, California, and they had three children and six grandchildren.[19] Lagomarsino died on February 7, 2021, at his family ranch inOjai, California.[20]
The visitor's center atChannel Islands National Park is named after Lagomarsino.[21]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles M. Teague (d. January 1, 1974) | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 13th congressional district March 5, 1974 – January 3, 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 19th congressional district 1975–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Clair Burgener California | Secretary ofHouse Republican Conference 1985–1989 | Succeeded by Vin Weber Minnesota |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
