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Arthur Harper recall, Los Angeles, California (1909)
| Arthur Harper recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| March 26, 1909 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 1909 Recalls in California California recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Arthur Harper, also known as A. C., occurred in Los Angeles, California. A recall election was scheduled for March 26, 1909. The Los Angeles City Council accepted Harper's resignation on March 12, 1909, and William Stephens was appointed to replace him until the recall election was held.[1][2]
Recall vote
George Alexander and Fred Wheeler ran in the election on March 26, 1909. Alexander won the election in a 14,043 to 12,341 vote.[3][4]
Recall supporters
The petition to recall Harper, addressed to the Los Angeles City Council, read as follows:[4]
| “ |
We, the undersigned, electors of the City of Los Angeles, hereby seek the removal of A. C. Harper, present incumbent of the office of Mayor of the said City of Los Angeles, and we hereby demand the election of a successor of the said A. C. Harper, so sought to be removed, in accordance with the provisions of Section 198c of the charter of the City of Los Angeles. We further represent to your Honorable Body that we are qualified electors of said city and entitled to vote for a successor of said A. C. Harper, and that the following is a general statement of the grounds for which the removal of said A. C. Harper from the office of Mayor of the City of Los Angeles is sought: That he has during two years of administration shown himself to be incompetent and unfit for the position he occupies. That he has frequently abused the appointing power by selecting, for personal and political reasons, men utterly unfit for the offices to which they were appointed. That he and certain of his appointees on the police commission have been active promoters and are large holders in business enterprises whose stock has been systematically marketed among the very people and interests which that commission is called upon to regulate and control. That the natural result of these improper appointments and the business relationship above referred to has been a failure on his part to enforce impartially the laws and ordinances of the city. The continuance in office of A. C. Harper as Mayor of the City is a menace to the great business enterprises upon which the city is engaged. [5] |
” |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New York Times, "MAYOR HARPER RESIGNS.; Other Los Angeles Officials Are Expected to Give Up Under Investigation." accessed August 2, 2024
- ↑ New York Times, "TO BE MAYOR 11 DAYS.; First Recall Election in an American City to be Held in Los Angeles." accessed August 2, 2024
- ↑ Newspapers.com, "Tonopah Bonanza Sat, Mar 27, 1909 Page 1," accessed August 2, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bird, F. & Ryan, F. (1930). The Recall of Public Officers. New York, NY: The Macmillan Company. (pages 234-240)
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
