Edward R. Roybal

Edward R. Roybal

Edward Ross Roybal (born February 10, 1916 in Albuquerque , New Mexico , † October 24, 2005 in Pasadena , California ) was an American politician . He represented the state of California from 1963 to 1993 in the US House of Representatives as the first Californian “ Hispanic ” in Congress since 1879. There he stood up primarily for the rights of ethnic minorities in the USA.

Edward Roybal was born in New Mexico and moved to Los Angeles with his parents in 1922 , where he attended public schools. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Fresno in 1934. On April 1 of the following year, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps . Studies at UCLA and Southwestern University followed . From 1942 to 1944 he worked as a health educator for the California Tuberculosis Association before serving in the US Army until 1945 . After his military service, he served as the director of health education for the Los Angeles County Tuberculosis and Health Association until 1949 .

Roybal's political career began in 1949 when he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council, of which he was a member until 1962. In July 1961 he was pro tempore president of this body. He also served as President of the Eastland Savings & Loan Association from 1958 to 1968 . During this time he was elected as a member of Congress, where he remained after 14 re-elections until January 3, 1993. Roybal decided not to be re-elected in 1992; he was followed by his daughter Lucille , who has been a member of parliament ever since.

In 2014 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom .

Web links

Commons : Edward R. Roybal  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Edward R. Roybal in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Biographical article about Edward R. Roybal (English)