John Clinton Porter

John Clinton Porter (right) on a visit to Berlin with Lord Mayor Heinrich Sahm (1931)

John Clinton Porter (born April 4, 1871 in Leon , Decatur County , Iowa , †  May 27, 1959 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American politician . Between 1929 and 1933 he was mayor of Los Angeles.

Career

At the age of eleven, John Porter came to California with his parents. He later worked as a telegraph operator and then became a used car dealer. He also had sales outlets outside of Los Angeles. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . He was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan . In 1929 he was elected Mayor of Los Angeles. He held this office between July 1, 1929 and July 1, 1933. His term of office fell during the Great Depression , which also left its mark in Los Angeles and led to high unemployment and increased poverty in parts of the population. Porter had to grapple with these problems as mayor. In 1932 the Olympic Games took place in Los Angeles. In the same year, construction began on the Colorado River Aqueduct , which was intended to improve the city's water supply.

At that time there was strong opposition to Porter among the population of the city, who accused him of incompetence, inefficiency and poor administration. She unsuccessfully demanded that he be removed through an early election. In 1933, Porter was not re-elected. In 1941 he applied again, but again without success, to return to the mayor's office. John Porter died in Los Angeles on May 27, 1959.

Web links

• John Clinton Porter in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Political Graveyard
• The Mayors of Los Angeles