People, Locations, Episodes

Sat, 12.29.1917

Tom Bradley, Politician born

Tom Bradley was born on this date in 1917.  He was a Black administrator and politician.

Thomas Bradley was born in Calvert, TX. His family later moved to Los Angeles, where he attended UCLA.  He served 22 years in the police department, rising to the rank of lieutenant, and earned a law degree from Southwestern University Law School in Georgetown, TX, in 1956.  In 1963, Bradley became the first Black elected to the Los Angeles city council.  In 1973, he became the city's first Black mayor, a position he held until he retired from politics in 1993.

During Bradley's 20 years in office, Los Angeles became an important world city, adding a major international airport and hosting the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. The five-time Los Angeles mayor could not win higher office despite winning the Democratic Party nomination for governor in 1982 and 1986.

In 1996, following heart surgery, Bradley suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He died in September 1998.

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