John Joseph McFall (February 20, 1918 – March 7, 2006) was a Democratic member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, representing the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, rising to the position of

House Majority Whip Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

Early life and career

McFall was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, and his family moved to

Manteca, California Manteca is a city in San Joaquin County, California. The city had a population of 83,498 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. It is part of the Stockton-Lodi, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Manteca is a city in the Ce ...

, where he attended school. He attended Manteca High School and graduated from

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

in 1936."John McFall, Mayor of Manteca, to Seek Assembly Seat"
''

Stockton Record ''The Record'' is a daily newspaper based in Stockton, California, serving San Joaquin and Calaveras Counties. It is owned by Gannett. History ''The Record'' was first published by Irving Martin on April 7, 1895. Speidel Newspapers, Inc. b ...

'', Stockton, California, 55th year, number 243, January 16, 1950, page 17. He then graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1938, and obtained his law degree from the

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of California, Berkeley. The school was commonly referred to as "Boalt Hall" for many years, although it was ...

in 1941. His career as an attorney was interrupted by service in the Army Security Intelligence Corps from 1942 to 1946, where he was stationed in the United States and became a sergeant.

Politics

In 1948, McFall became a Manteca

councilman A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regio ...

. He was elected to the state assembly in 1951 and served there until his election to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in 1956.

Congress

McFall served eleven terms in Congress, but lost his bid for re-election to a 12th term in 1978 and resigned on December 31, 1978.

Koreagate

Congressman McFall, along with other elected officials, was reprimanded for his role in the influence peddling scandal that came to be known as

Koreagate "Koreagate" was an American political scandal in 1976 involving South Korean political figures seeking influence from 10 Democratic members of Congress. The scandal involved the uncovering of evidence that the Korea Central Intelligence Agency (K ...

Personal life

He married Evelyn A.M. Anklam McFall in 1950. The couple had four children. In 1978 he retired to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. After leaving Congress, he became a lobbyist for railroad interests.

Death

He died March 7, 2006, from complications of a broken hip and

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

Electoral history

References

External links

John McFall Collection
at the

Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and informe ...

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McFall, John J. 1918 births 2006 deaths California city council members Censured or reprimanded members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Mayors of places in California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from Manteca, California Politicians from Buffalo, New York United States Army non-commissioned officers UC Berkeley School of Law alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Manteca High School alumni 20th-century members of the California State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Members of Congress who became lobbyists