1938 Los Angeles mayoral recall election

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1938 Los Angeles mayoral recall election
	Vote on recall
Results
	Mayoral election
Mayor before election; Frank L. Shaw;	Elected Mayor ; Fletcher Bowron;

The 1938 Los Angeles mayoral recall election took place on September 16, 1938, following the recall of incumbent Frank L. Shaw. Shaw was defeated by Fletcher Bowron in the election, making him the first recalled mayor in American history.^[1]

Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.^[2]

Election

Shaw had been accosted with corruption in City Hall which led to a recall movement against him and his close associates. Reformers who opposed Shaw and the Los Angeles Times both agreed that Shaw was "building the largest machine in the city's history," choosing Fletcher Bowron, a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to run against Shaw.^[3]^[4] The reformers campaigned for Shaw's recall saying that he did not do enough to stop crime and that he had supposedly committeed arious crimes during his tenure.^[5] The recall was approved by voters by a large margin, and Bowron defeated Shaw by a landslide.^[6]

Results

Los Angeles mayoral recall election, September 16, 1938
Choice	Votes	%
Yes	235,395	64.65
No	128,727	35.35
Total votes	364,122	100.00

Los Angeles mayoral recall election, September 16, 1938^[7]
Candidate	Votes	%
Fletcher Bowron	233,427	64.33
Frank L. Shaw (incumbent)	122,692	33.81
Alonzo J. Riggs	4,050	1.12
Albert F. Osterloh	2,706	0.75
Total votes	362,875	100.00

References and footnotes

^ John R. Babcock, "When Los Angeles Was a World-Class City of Corruption," Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, May 12, 1989, page A-19
^ "LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT" (PDF). League of Women Voters.
^ Viehe, Fred W. (1980). The Recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw: A Revision. Vol. 59. University of California Press. pp. 290–305.
^ "Judge Named on Reform Ticket". Imperial Valley Press. August 9, 1938.
^ Sitton, Tom (1987). Another Generation of Urban Reformers: Los Angeles in the 1930s. Vol. 18. Oxford University Press.
^ "Formidable Ofensiva del Japón La Primera Autoridad". La Opinión (in Spanish). October 13, 1938.
^ "Los Angeles Mayor". Our Campaigns.

External links

Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles

[HerEx-1] John R. Babcock, "When Los Angeles Was a World-Class City of Corruption," Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, May 12, 1989, page A-19

[nonpartisan-2] "LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT" (PDF). League of Women Voters.

[3] Viehe, Fred W. (1980). The Recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw: A Revision. Vol. 59. University of California Press. pp. 290–305.

[4] "Judge Named on Reform Ticket". Imperial Valley Press. August 9, 1938.

[5] Sitton, Tom (1987). Another Generation of Urban Reformers: Los Angeles in the 1930s. Vol. 18. Oxford University Press.

[6] "Formidable Ofensiva del Japón La Primera Autoridad". La Opinión (in Spanish). October 13, 1938.

[7] "Los Angeles Mayor". Our Campaigns.

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1938 Los Angeles mayoral recall election

Election

Results

See also

References and footnotes

External links