Gordon R. Hahn (April 15, 1919 – March 29, 2001) was a member of the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...

and California State Assembly in the mid-20th Century. While on the council, he cast the decisive vote that brought the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and was instrumental in the appointment of

Gilbert Lindsay Gilbert William Lindsay (November 29, 1900 – December 28, 1990), also known as Gil Lindsay, was a Los Angeles, California, politician who worked his way up from City Hall janitor to become the city's first black City Council member and one of i ...

, who became the first African American on the city council. His brother,

Kenneth Hahn Kenneth Hahn (August 19, 1920 – October 12, 1997) was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for forty years, from 1952 to 1992. Hahn was on the Los Angeles City Council from 1947 to 1952. He was an ardent supporter of civil r ...

, was Los Angeles County supervisor for 40 years. After Kenneth suffered a stroke in 1987, Gordon was his field deputy until Kenneth retired in 1992.

Biography

Hahn was born in

Kindersley, Saskatchewan Kindersley is a town surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Kindersley No. 290 in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located along Highway 7, a primary highway linking Calgary, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. At a population of 4,59 ...

, the sixth of the seven children of John and Hattie (Wiggins) Hahn. His father died when he was an infant, leaving his mother to raise the large family on a $60-per-month pension. She moved the family to a small house on Flower Street in Los Angeles, where his younger brother,

Kenneth Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...

, was born. Hahn worked his way through

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

, graduated from the

United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

and was a Naval Reserve officer during World War II. After leaving office, he worked in the real estate business. He died of pneumonia caused by respiratory failure on March 29, 2001. Hahn was buried in

Riverside National Cemetery Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administratio ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

Political career

Assembly

In 1946, at the age of 27, he was elected as a Republican in the 66th District of the California State Assembly, becoming the youngest legislator in a decade. He served three and a half terms in the Assembly, from 1947 until his resignation in 1953.

City Council

''See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1953 and after.'' Hahn was appointed to fill the

Los Angeles City Council District 8 Los Angeles City Council District 8 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council, representing much of western South Los Angeles. The current council member is Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who took office on 1 July 2015. The precedi ...

seat vacated by his brother, Kenneth, who had been elected to the

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their firs ...

. Gordon was elected to the council in his own right after the expiration of his brother's term and served on the council until 1963. In 1955 District 8 included an area ". . . bordering on

Huntington Park Huntington Park is a city in the Gateway Cities district of southeastern Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, of whom 97% are Hispanic/Latino and about half were born outside th ...

and Vernon, from Vernon Avenue to 94th Street. . . . A considerable percentage of the population is Negro; they hold that their race should have some representation in the City Council. On the other hand, left-wing Democrats, following the banner of Rep. Jimmy Roosevelt, also have a candidate in the race, which may split the Negro vote.""Unusual Setup for Council's Contests," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 3, 1955, page B-2
/ref> While he was on the council he chaired the Revenue and Taxation Committee. During an eight-day smog blanket over Los Angeles in 1954, Hahn told the Associated Press, "this thing has gone far enough, health should come before industry."

Other contests

He ran to represent California's 31st District in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1962, losing to Democrat Charles H. Wilson, 48 percent to 52 percent. In 1986, he made an unsuccessful bid for Los Angeles County Assessor.

References

External links

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Join California Gordon Hahn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Gordon 1919 births 2001 deaths American members of the Churches of Christ Burials at Riverside National Cemetery Canadian emigrants to the United States Los Angeles City Council members Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from Kindersley Pepperdine University alumni 20th-century American politicians Hahn family United States Navy personnel of World War II