Robert "Bert" L. Farmer (February 27, 1875 – May 31, 1939) was an American politician who served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

and in the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

. He unsuccessfully challenged George E. Cryer in the 1923 Los Angeles mayoral election.

Early life and career

Farmer was born on February 27, 1875. He and his family, resided in both

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra fou ...

and

Merced County Merced County ( ) is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

before he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1893, where he became an insurance adjuster. In 1903, Farmer was chosen by the Board of Education to become the census marshal. In 1906, he became a city purchasing agent before becoming a deputy city clerk, city schools census marshal, and later the regional supervisor for the

1910 United States census The 1910 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau on April 15, 1910, determined the resident population of the United States to be 92,228,496, an increase of 21 percent over the 76,212,168 persons enumerated during the 1900 census ...

Political career

On November 7, 1916

election, Farmer won the seat for the 71st district over

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

incumbent Lewis A. Spengler, Progressive candidate John H. Martin, and

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

candidate James Gillespie. On July 1, 1917, while still serving as an Assemblyman, Farmer won a seat on the

. On January 3, 1918, Farmer was elected by the Council to become the

President of the Los Angeles City Council The President of the Los Angeles City Council is the presiding officer of the Los Angeles City Council. The president presides as chair over meetings of the council and assignments to City Council committees and handles parliamentary duties like ...

, succeeding

James Simpson Conwell James Simpson Conwell (July 4, 1859 – December 15, 1917) was a businessman, inventor and local politician in Illinois and California. Personal and business life Conwell was born on July 4, 1859, in Winona, Minnesota, the son of the Rev. F.A. ...

. During his one-year tenure, he presided over the renaming of Central Park to Pershing Square, helped with city celebrations for

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Frederic T. Woodman to "suppress ..sedition in Los Angeles." In 1920, he was a candidate for Los Angeles County Supervisor for the 4th district, but lost the election. In the 1923 Los Angeles mayoral election, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent George E. Cryer for the office of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, to which he advocated for a new city charter. In May 1933, he was a candidate for the 73rd State Assembly district, but lost to Howard W. Davis.

Personal life and death

Farmer was married to Maude Farmer, and the two of them had two children, Ada Carroll and Dorothy Reamer. He became ill during the last three years of his life, dying at his home in

Pico Union Pico-Union is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. The name "Pico-Union" refers to the neighborhood that surrounds the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. Located immediately west of Downtown Los Angeles, it is home ...

on May 31, 1939. His funeral was held on June 2, 1939.

References

Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links requires the use of a library card. {{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer, Bert L. 1875 births 1939 deaths Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council Republican Party members of the California State Assembly 20th-century members of the California State Legislature