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 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 ...

, California State Assembly, and California State Senate.

Early life and career

Yonkin was born in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

on October 11, 1850, moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

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