Henry H. Yonkin (October 11, 1850 – February 9, 1941) was a politician who served on 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 ...

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

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

Early life and career

Yonkin was born in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

on October 11, 1850, moving 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 1885 and starting a political career at the age of 35. He served as a deputy sheriff to John C. Cline and was later elected to as a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

for two terms. While serving as a constable, Yonkin was sued for $1,500 for allegedly attaching property from them to help satisfy another party. In July 1903, Yonkin was accused of a felony for prejudice against M. N. Melrose during his trial.

Political career

In 1906, Yonkin was elected to the

, succeeding Arthur D. Houghton. Yonkin was elected over Houghton, as many voters viewed Houghton as the "laughing stock of the city." In 1907, recall petitions against Yonkin began circulating. In 1908, the Good Government League launched another recall campaign against Yonkin led by ex-police commissioner Charles Sadler; the initial meeting to decide for the recall had been leaked to the public days prior. Yonkin was briefly considered to be a contender for

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 ...

in 1909. His tenure ended that year after the new City Council system was implemented. In 1917, Yonkin was elected to the

for the 73rd district, beating Socialist George W. Downing and Democrat Harvey B. Dalton in the 1916 election. After serving a term, Yonkin was elected to the

for the 38th district beating Independent Charles H. V. Lewis, who would later serve after Yonkin after Yonkin's term.

Personal life and death

Yonkin was married to Anna M. Yonkin; they had two children. On February 9, 1941, Yonkin died at the age of 90 at his home in

Historic South Central Historic South Central Los Angeles is a 2.25-square-mile neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, within the South Los Angeles region. It is the site of the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall. From the late 1800s to early 1910s, African Americans began re ...

. Funeral services for Yonkin were held on February 12.

References

Links to ''Los Angeles Times'' articles require the use of a library card. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yonkin, Henry H. 1850 births 1941 deaths Los Angeles City Council members Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly American deputy sheriffs 20th-century members of the California State Legislature