Norris Poulson

Charles Norris Poulson
Poulson in 1959
36thMayor of Los Angeles
In office July 1, 1953 – July 1, 1961
Preceded by	Fletcher Bowron
Succeeded by	Sam Yorty
15thPresident of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office 1958–1959
Preceded by	Robert F. Wagner Jr.
Succeeded by	Richard J. Daley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia
In office January 3, 1947 – June 11, 1953
Preceded by	Ned R. Healy
Succeeded by	Glenard P. Lipscomb
Constituency	13th district(1947–53) 24th district(1953)
In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945
Preceded by	Charles Kramer
Succeeded by	Ned R. Healy
Constituency	13th district
Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the56thdistrict
In office January 2, 1939 – January 3, 1943
Preceded by	Thomas Cunningham
Succeeded by	Ernest E. Debs
Personal details
Born	Charles Norris Poulson (1895-07-23)July 23, 1895 Baker County, Oregon,U.S.
Died	September 25, 1982(1982-09-25)(aged 87) La Jolla,California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Erna J. Loennig ​ ​ (m.1916; died 1981)​
Children	3
Residence(s)	Los Angeles,California, U.S.

Charles Norris Poulson(July 23, 1895 – September 25, 1982) was an American politician who representedSouthern Californiain public office at the local, state, and federal levels. He served as the 36th Mayor ofLos Angelesfrom 1953 to 1961, after having been aCalifornia State Assemblymanand then a member of theUnited States Congress.He was aRepublican.

Early life and career

Charles Norris Poulson was born inBaker County, Oregon.He was the son of Peter Skovo Poulson (1843–1928), an immigrant fromDenmark.Poulson attendedOregon State Universityfor two years before he wed Erna June Loennig on December 25, 1916. The couple arrived in Los Angeles in 1923. Poulson became acertified public accountantthrough correspondence classes and night school atSouthwestern Law School,which at that time had a business school.

Political career

California State Assembly and U.S. Congress

In 1938, he was elected to theDistrict 56seat of theCalifornia State Assembly.He won a congressional seat four years later. After losing the seat in the 1944 election, he returned to theUnited States Congressfollowing the 1946 elections, remaining there until his election asmayor of Los Angeles.During his years as a congressman, Poulson helped lead California in its fight againstArizonaoverColorado Riverwater. At the time of his departure from Congress, he was the chairman of theCommittee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

Mayor of Los Angeles

Poulson proclaiming Negro History Week in 1956.

Poulson's victory in the Los Angeles mayoral race came after a contentious battle in which his opponent, incumbent mayorFletcher Bowron,claimed that theLos Angeles Timeswanted to control city government and, by endorsing Poulson, would have a puppet in the mayor's office. Poulson, for his part, challenged Bowron's support for public housing, in particular a project in the area known asChavez RavineinElysian Park Heights(the site on whichDodger Stadiumwould later be built). With the support of the group Citizens Against Socialist Housing (CASH) and drawing on theanti-communistatmosphere of the time, Poulson promised to end support for such "un-American" housing projects and to fire city employees who were communists or who refused to answer questions about their political activities.

During his eight years as mayor, Los Angeles became the third largest city in the United States, with Poulson instrumental in leading the construction ofLos Angeles International Airportand expanding theLos Angeles Harbor.Most notably, he led the drive to lure baseball'sBrooklyn Dodgersto Los Angeles. This led to what became known as theBattle of Chavez Ravine,which resulted in the removal of Hispanic residents from land on which Dodger Stadium was later constructed. He helped integrate the city's fire and police departments and initiated a garbage recycling program that proved to be a factor in his defeat in 1961.

In 1958 and 1959, Paulson served as president of theUnited States Conference of Mayors.

Perhaps the most memorable image of his mayoral career came on September 21, 1959, when he addressed Soviet premierNikita Khrushchevduring a public ceremony. The comments came after Khrushchev had constantly touted Soviet superiority during his tour of the city by Poulson. Citing Khrushchev's phrase, "We will bury you,"Poulson responded," You shall not bury us and we shall not bury you. We tell you in the friendliest terms possible we are planning no funerals, yours or our own. "Poulson received over 3,600 letters following the incident, many of them praising him for his comments.

He lost a reelection campaign in 1961 toSam Yorty,partly due to having to explain the expenses incurred by the Dodgers' franchise shift. Efforts to blunt such criticism were limited due to a severe case oflaryngitis,which prevented him from responding to the invitation from local television personalityGeorge Putnamto debate Yorty on his show. Poulson did not recover from the laryngitis in time, and his campaign never recovered from the setback.

Following the defeat, Poulson briefly returned to accounting before retiring toLa JollainSan Diegoin 1962. He died in 1982.His grandson Norris Brandt is a nationally-recognized expert on water policy.

See also

• George P. Cronk,Poulson's campaign manager in 1953

External links

• Norris PoulsonatFind a Grave
• Norris Poulson papers
• Join California Norris Poulson

Further reading

• Buntin, John (2009).L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City.New York: Harmony Books.ISBN9780307352071.OCLC431334523.Retrieved14 November2014.