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INVENTORY OF THE GLENN M. ANDERSON PAPERS,
1870-2000, bulk 1940-1994
["Consult repository."]
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Table of contents
Title: Glenn M. Anderson Papers,
Dates: 1870s-2000,
Bulk: 1940-1994,
Collection Number: ["Consult repository."]
Creator:
Anderson, Glenn M.
Extent:
649 boxes,
[430 linear ft]
Repository: California State University, Dominguez Hills
Archives and Special Collections
Archives & Special Collection
University Library, Room G-145
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747
Phone: (310) 243-3013
URL: http://www.csudh.edu/archives/csudh/index.html
Abstract:
This collection comprises papers related to the long political career of Glenn M. Anderson,
who served in California as mayor of the city of Hawthorne, as State Assemblyman, and as
Lieutenant Governor, then represented the state in the House of Representatives. The
wide-ranging collection contains legislation, reports, correspondence, scrapbooks, newsletters,
audio-visual material, and other items recording Anderson’s deep involvement in the political
issues facing California and the United States, and his work with many of the major political
figures of the twentieth century, including Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Adlai Stevens,
Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, and others.
Language: Collection material is in English
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
[Title of item], Glenn M. Anderson Papers, Courtesy of the Department of Archives and Special Collections. University Library.
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Following his decision to retire in 1992, Glenn M. Anderson donated papers covering his
long career to California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), which is located in
the South Bay area Anderson had served for many years. CSUDH acquired the materials in
December, 1992 and January, 1993.
Following donation of the materials, CSUDH formed the Glenn M. Anderson Collection
Committee in June, 1993 to oversee both the processing of the collection and activities
related to preserving and promoting the collection. Archivist Dan Lewis was hired on a
part-time basis, and he oversaw processing of the collection through 1996, save for a
period in 1994 when Tim Gregory served as Acting Coordinator of Archives & Special
Collections at CSUDH. Rebecca Mead was hired as Project Archivist in 1997 and continued
to early 1999. Further processing was done under the supervision of University Archivist
Karen Jean Hunt. Final processing was completed by Tom Philo in 2008. Wherever possible
the files retain the name and order that Anderson and his staff gave them.
A finding aid draft was completed during earlier processing, but authorship was not
attributed. This earlier draft was vital to completion of processing and particularly this finding aid.
Glenn M. Anderson was born on February 21, 1913 in Hawthorne, California, a city that
Anderson would serve as mayor, Assemblyman, and Congressman. His parents had moved to
California from Chicago in 1906, and were the first settlers in newly-established town
of Hawthorne, located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. Except for a brief
period when the family lived in the San Bernardino County town of Cima, Anderson would
maintain a home in the South Bay area for the rest of his life.
Following the death of Anderson’s father in 1925 and his brother’s disappearance in 1928,
Anderson began his working life at age 18. While still attending high school, he began
work as Postal Telegram Messenger, delivering telegrams first by bicycle, then later by
motorcycle. Even while attending college at UCLA, Anderson’s enjoyment of motorcycle
riding led to a brief career in the emerging sport of short track racing and occasional
stunt work in Hollywood films. With the money he earned from races and motion pictures,
Anderson opened a small garage in Hawthorne, one which soon grew to be one of the few
thriving businesses in the Depression-hit town. As a successful local businessman,
Anderson was urged to run for City Council. Upon winning a seat, his fellow Councilmen
elected him to the mayor’s position. In 1940, Anderson at age 27 was the youngest mayor
in the United States.
At the same time he was beginning his career in municipal politics, Anderson was also working
in the California Democratic Party, then eager to make gains in traditionally-Republican
California. In 1936 he had helped organize a local Young Democrats chapter, soon became
treasurer and then president, and in 1938 was elected a member of the Los Angeles County
Central Committee (LACCC). In 1942, Anderson became a member of the Democratic State Central
Committee of California (DSCCC), serving on the executive board, and was eventually elected
Chairman of the DSCCC in 1950, by unanimous vote.
As mayor, Anderson bypassed parochial business-as-usual corruption and graft that defined
local politics, and began to place Hawthorne on a larger stage, convincing the Roosevelt
Administration to build a long-delayed water filtration plant in the city as part of the
Works Progress Administration. He was also instrumental in helping build the Hawthorne
Municipal Airport as a draw to emerging aircraft companies, including future aviation giant
Northrop. With the outbreak of World War II, Hawthorne and its surrounding area become
vital in constructing airplanes for the war effort, with the air industry employing
thousands.
In 1943, Anderson left the Hawthorne mayor’s office after winning election to the State
Legislature, representing the 46th District. After occupying the office briefly, Anderson
waived the deferment granted to legislators, and enlisted in the Army, serving for the
duration of the war. Upon discharge, Anderson returned to the State Legislature, winning
re-election in 1945, 1947, and 1949. During his years in the California State Legislature,
Anderson focused on education, aid to veterans, and improving California’s infrastructure.
He authored the bill establishing El Camino College in his district, and pushed for the
construction of bridges and highways that would link the South bay harbors in San Pedro
and Long Beach to the rest of the state, and help make the harbors among the busiest in the
world. Anderson also authored a bill outlawing segregation in California schools; it was
signed into law in 1947, years before Brown vs. Board of Education outlawed segregation
nationally.
Following an unsuccessful run for the California State Senate in 1950, Anderson left elected
office for eight years. While focusing on his successful property investment and development
business, Anderson continued with efforts to build up the state’s Democratic Party. In 1952,
Anderson, along with other Democratic leaders, including future-Senator Alan Cranston, formed
the California Democratic Council (CDC), with Cranston chairman in north California, and
Anderson Chairman in Southern California. The CDC spearheaded the movement to establish
hundreds of Democratic Clubs around the state, bringing thousands of people into the party on
a local level, allowing them to discuss issues important to them and helping determine common
goals. This grass-roots movement helped fuel the explosive growth of the Democratic Party in
the state in the 1950s, helping it become competitive with the then-dominant Republican Party.
Anderson believed the time was right to re-enter elective politics, and in 1957 he began to
campaign for the Lieutenant Governor’s position. In 1958, he won his party’s nomination, then
was elected to the office in the general election, serving with his fellow Democrat Edmund G.
“Pat” Brown, who had been elected Governor. They were both re-elected in 1962.
Anderson was Lieutenant Governor during some of California’s most momentous years. As
ex-officio Regent and Trustee, he helped preside over the 1960 creation of the California
Master Plan for Higher Education, which made the University of California, the California
State Colleges (later becoming the California State University system), and Community
Colleges partners in an initiative that made higher education available to virtually any
California resident. Anderson also chaired the Interstate Cooperation Commission, which
helped California and Nevada control development in the Lake Tahoe area. Anderson worked
on the California presidential campaigns of both Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. In
August, 1965, while Governor Brown was out of the country, Anderson was Acting Governor
when the Watts Riots broke out in Los Angeles. Anderson received some public criticism for
his handling of the crisis, and it became an issue in the 1966 gubernatorial race, in which
Republicans Ronald Reagan and Robert Finch defeated Governor Brown and Lieutenant Governor
Anderson, respectively.
In 1968, Anderson ran successfully for the U.S. Congress, representing the South Bay area,
including his hometown of Hawthorne. He served twelve terms, spanning the years 1969-1993.
During his years in office, Anderson focused largely on environmental protection and improving
the nation’s infrastructure and harbors. He served most significantly on the Committee on
Public Works and Transportation, which he briefly chaired, and the Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries.
While involving himself with national issues, Anderson remained committed to matters affecting
California. He took particular interest in fisheries and the fishing industry, mass
transportation systems for Los Angeles, San Pedro and Long Beach ports and harbors, and
construction of major southern California highways, including the 105 Freeway and the
Alameda Corridor. For his efforts on behalf of the 105 Freeway, it was renamed the Glenn
M. Anderson Freeway in 1994. Anderson also remained closely connected to his constituents
throughout his career. Anderson welcomed visits to both his South Bay and Washington
offices, and he and his staff often helped constituents deal with other government agencies,
including the Social Security Administration, the Armed Forces, Veteran’s Administration,
and the Internal Revenue Service. In recognition of his service, there are parks, bridges,
roads, and shipping channels throughout the South Bay that bear his name.
Anderson left the House of Representatives in 1993. He died on December 13, 1994. He was
survived by three children and his wife, Lee (Dutton) Anderson. She had been active in the
California Democratic Party when she met Anderson in 1949. They were married in 1957, the second
marriage for both. A full political partner, Lee Anderson worked on Anderson’s campaigns, the
Presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson, and she was deeply involved in supporting the United
Nations.
| 1913 | Born, Hawthorne, California |
| 1936 | Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Los Angeles |
| 1938 | Member, Los Angeles Democratic County Central Committee |
| 1940-1943 | Mayor and City Council Member, Hawthorne, California |
| Member, Board of Directors, Los Angeles County Sanitation District | |
| 1943-1945 | Private and Sergeant, United States Army Infantry |
| Marries Patricia Fleurichamp Anderson | |
| 1942-1958 | Member, California Democratic State Central Committee |
| 1943-1951 | Member, California State Assembly, 46th District |
| 1948-1950 | Chair, Los Angeles Democratic County Central Committee |
| 1949-1950 | Chair, California Interim Committee on Highways, Streets, and Bridges |
| 1950 | Defeated by Jack Tenney in run for State Senate Seat |
| 1950-1952 | Chair, California Democratic State Central Committee |
| 1953-1954 | Vice-Chair, State Central Committee 17th Congressional District |
| 1956-1957 | First Vice-Chair, California Democratic Council |
| 1957 | Married Lee Dutton Braude Anderson |
| 1959-1967 | Lieutenant Governor, State of California |
| Member and Chair, State Lands Commission | |
| Regent, University of California | |
| Trustee, California State Colleges | |
| Chair, California Interstate [Commerce] Commission | |
| 1961-1967 | Member, Commission of the Californias |
| 1963-1967 | Member and Chair, California Council on Urban Growth |
| 1966 | Defeated by Robert Finch in run for third term, Lieutenant Governor |
| 1969-1973 | Member of Congress, 17th Congressional District |
| Member and Chair, Surface Transportation Subcommittee (House Committee on Public Works and Transportation) | |
| Member and Chair, Aviation Subcommittee (House Committee on Public Works and Transportation) | |
| Member, Water Resources Subcommittee (House Committee on Public Works and Transportation) | |
| 1973-1975 | Member of Congress, 35th Congressional District |
| 1975-1993 | Member of Congress, 32nd Congressional District |
| 1988-1992 | Chairman, House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries |
| Member, Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment Subcommittee (House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries) | |
| Member, Merchant Marine Subcommittee (House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries) | |
| Member, Oceanography Subcommittee (House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries) | |
| Member, Panama Canal and Outer Continental Shelf Subcommittee (House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries) | |
| 1993 | Retires from Congress |
| 1994 | Dies, San Pedro, California |
The Glenn M. Anderson collection (1928-2000) contains papers and materials documenting
Anderson’s long career in California and national politics. Anderson became involved in
the California Democratic Party in the 1930s, when the Republican Party was dominant
throughout the state, and from his earliest days he worked to strengthen his own party
on the local and state level. In 1940, at age 27, Anderson became the youngest mayor in
the United States and, except for a couple short periods, he remained in elected politics
until 1993. During this time, in addition to his years as mayor, Anderson served as State
Assemblyman, Lieutenant Governor, and United States Congressman. In addition to holding
elected office, Anderson worked on behalf of the Democratic Party as Chairman of the
Democratic State Central Committee, and he was one of the founding Chairs of the California
Democratic Council, which helped vitalize the Democratic Party throughout California.
Throughout his life, he kept a home in the South Bay of Los Angeles County, and his career
is marked by a close personal contact with the region and Anderson’s many constituents there
Personal Files cover the breadth of Anderson long political career. The biographical items
cover aspects of Anderson’s education, family, and businesses outside of politics. They
also include extensive scrapbooks and press clippings that Anderson collected from his
earliest years in elected office through retirement. Personal files also contain materials
generated by Anderson or his office, including speeches, press releases, tributes, and
statements before Congress as noted in the Congressional Record. Correspondence files in
this section contain letters exchanged with major figures in California and national
politics, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Edmund G. Brown, Adlai
Stevenson, and Alan Cranston, among others. Political files in the section contain materials
related to Anderson’s campaigns for the various elected offices he held during his career, and
they include campaign notes, rosters, mailing lists, and items dealing with fundraising. There
are also large numbers of files dealing with local politics and politicians, most of them in
California. These files contain correspondence and other materials that help document
Anderson’s life-long work on behalf of the California Democratic Party, particularly his
pioneering work with the California Democratic Council and the Democratic State Central
Committee of California.
The collection contains a small number of materials from Anderson’s years as mayor of
Hawthorne. These consist primarily of budget-related and legal items, stationery,
newspaper clippings, campaign items, and correspondence.
While there is material related to the Democratic Clubs of California throughout the
collection, one small series is dedicated to Anderson’s earliest involvement in the Young
Democrats and various Democratic Clubs, which set the stage for his later entry into
state and national office. correspondence, records, and newsletters reflect Anderson’s
abiding interest in grassroots politics, one which he would expand in the 1940s and 1950s,
when he spearheaded the Democratic Club movement that allowed the party to compete against
the then-dominant Republican Party on all levels.
The State Assembly materials consist of correspondence, State Assembly and State Senate
bills and other materials showing Anderson’s involvement with most of the major social
issues facing California in the 1940s, including Japanese-American imprisonment in World
War II and the Alien Land laws, racial segregation, pollution, and infrastructure
improvements. In some cases, such as school desegregation, Anderson and the state were
addressing these issues long before they played out on the national stage. These materials
are also noteworthy as they document Anderson’s contentious relationship with the
conservative State Senator Jack Tenney, then Chairman of the Senate Fact-finding Committee
on Un-American Activities. Anderson ran unsuccessfully against Tenney for State Senate in
1950, after which Anderson left elected politics until running for Lieutenant Governor in
1958.
Materials comprising Anderson’s two terms as Lieutenant Governor focus largely on his work as
California’s ambassador to the rest of the world, documenting his travels abroad, as well
as his efforts to stay in close contact with California Democrats on the local level. The
years that Anderson and Governor Brown served in Sacramento are among the most momentous in
state history, and these files contain files document Anderson’s close involvement with
vital issues such as education, offshore oil development, the closing and disposition of
Alcatraz, and the improvement of California’s infrastructure. Of particular note are items
related to the development of California’s historic Master Plan for Higher Education, the
University of California system, and the formation of the California State College (later
University) system. The Lieutenant Governor files also provide a great deal of material
related to the Watts Riots and the ensuing McCone Commission investigation. These materials
show press and public responses to Anderson’s handling of the Watts Riots, and help
illustrate how they contributed to the political rise of Ronald Reagan, who, along with
Robert Finch, defeated Brown and Anderson in the 1966 gubernatorial elections.
The majority of the collection is devoted to Anderson’s long tenure in the House of
Representatives. Administrative records show the workings of staff and office and details
all legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Anderson. Anderson maintained a close
connection to his constituents, and this is reflected by the copious correspondence he
maintained. Much of this is related to everyday requests (for tours, flags, or academic
recommendations), while a small sample of other case letters show Anderson’s willingness
to help constituents deal with government agencies, including Social Security, armed forces,
and the Internal Revenue. There are numerous files detailing Anderson’s work on two major
committees: the Committee on Public Works and Transportation (which he chaired for a short
time) and the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. While these files show Anderson
at work on a national stage, they also show his ongoing concern with his home state and
region, particularly emphasizing his efforts to protect wildlife and coastlines, aid to
fisheries, development of mass transportation in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, and
infrastructure projects such as the 105 Freeway (later renamed for him) and the Alameda
Corridor project. This interest is further illustrated by the extensive subject files
Anderson maintained at his Washington and Long Beach offices, each containing reports,
correspondence, notes, copies of speeches, and information relating to the local communities
in Anderson’s home district.
The large photograph collection gives a pictorial history of Anderson’s entire career,
showing him with many fellow politicians, heads of state, celebrities, and other prominent
persons. There are also a number of personal photos of family and friends, photos of
others inscribed to Anderson, and photos of locales, landmarks, and events. The warm
regard that constituents and legislators felt toward Anderson is show by the large number
of certificates, awards, plaques, tributes, and commemorative artifacts in the collection.
When Anderson donated his papers to CSUDH in 1993, the university formed the Glenn M.
Anderson Collection Advisory Committee, both to oversee initial processing of the collection
and to make it accessible to researchers and educators. The collection contains meeting
minutes, correspondence, financial records, and records leading to completion and
publication of the final manuscript of Glenn M. Anderson: Conscience of California, by
Myron Roberts and Harold Garvin.
Arrangement
Arranged in ten series:
- Series I. Personal/Political Files (1921-1994)
- Series II. Mayor of Hawthorne Files (1940-1941)
- Series III. Democratic Clubs Files (1938-1940)
- Series IV. State Assembly Files (1937-1950)
- Series V. California Lieutenant Governor Files (1959-1983, bulk 1959-1967)
- Series VI. U.S. Congressional Files (1969-1992)
- Series VII. Subject Files (1943-1991)
- Series VIII. Artifacts (ca. 1946-1994)
- Series IX. Photographs (1870s-1990s)
- Series X. Anderson Committee Files (1993-2001)
California. Executive Dept.
California. Governor
California – Politics and government – 1850-1950
California – Politics and government – 1951-
Communism – California
Discrimination in education – California
Education, Higher – California
Educational equalization – California
Educational law and legislation – California
Elections – California
Fishery law and legislation – California
Harbors – California – Long Beach
Harbors – California – Los Angeles
Harbors – Law and legislation – California
Higher education and state – California
Infrastructure (Economics) – Government policy – California
Japanese Americans – Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945.
Legislation – California
Legislators – California
Legislators – United States – Biography
Marine resources – Law and legislation – California
Merchant marine – United States
Noise control – Law and legislation – California
Offshore oil well drilling – Law and legislation – California
Political clubs – United States
Politicians – California – Biography
Pollution – Law and legislation – California
Prisons – California – Alcatraz Island
Public universities and colleges – California
Race discrimination – California
Race discrimination – Law and legislation – California
Riots – California – Los Angeles
Roads – United States – Maintenance and repair.
Student movements – California – Berkeley – 1960-1970
Universities and colleges – California
University of California, Berkeley – Political activity
Water – Law and legislation – California
Anderson, Glenn M.
Brown, Edmund G. (Edmund Gerald) 1905-1996
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
Cranston, Alan MacGregor
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
Reagan, Ronald
Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1835-1914
Tenney, Jack B. (Jack Breckinridge), 1898-1970
California Community Colleges
California. Governor’s Commission on the Los Angeles Riots
California. Legislature. Assembly
California. Legislature. Senate. Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities in California
California. National Guard
California State University and Colleges
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Democratic Party. California
Democratic Party (U.S.)
United States. Marine Mammal Commission
United States. Congress. House
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works and Transportation
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, California
University of California (System)
Alcatraz Island (Calif.)
California--History
Long Beach (Calif.)
Long Beach (Calif.) – Harbor
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Los Angeles (Calif.) – Harbor
San Pedro (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Harbor
Tahoe, Lake (Calif. and Nev.)