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James Charles Corman (October 20, 1920 – December 30, 2000) was an American politician who served as 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 temp ...
from 1957 to 1961 and as a member of the
United States 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 ...
between 1961 and 1981.


Early life and education

Corman was born on October 20, 1920, in
Galena, Kansas Galena is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,761. History Although the railroad was built through the territory of Galena in 1871, the community did not start until the d ...
, the son of Ransford D. Corman and Edna V. Corman, both of Kansas. His father was a
silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...
miner who died of
lung disease The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side ...
brought on by his work. Young James was brought to California by his mother in 1933; he attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles and earned a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree from
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...
and a law degree from the
USC Gould School of Law The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated ...
.


Military

Corman was a cadet officer at UCLA with the
Reserve Officer Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
, and he was made a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...
in the
U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
in June 1943. In 1944, he told of the death of a Japanese soldier he witnessed in the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
while his Marine unit was guarding a food supply. The Marines held their fire until the Japanese "began pawing over the
ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natural ...
in the darkness, and then opened fire." One Japanese "fell wounded over a crate of salmon cans. His companions fled.""Angeleno Tells Aambush of Japs," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 5, 1944, page A-16
/ref> Corman continued:
Suddenly we heard the tap of a grenade. We ducked into our foxholes just before the explosion and were unhurt. In the morning we found the Jap had decapitated himself. In his wallet was a magazine clipping of a picture of Japanese-American soldiers fighting with United States forces in Italy.


Career


City Council

''See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns.'' In 1957 Corman, supported by labor and Democratic votes, was elected to a four-year term represent Los Angeles City Council District 7, over Kay Bogendorfer, a Republican. In that year, this newly established
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
district was bounded on the south by Riverside Drive on the east by
Coldwater Canyon Coldwater Canyon is a canyon running perpendicular to and over the central Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A section of the canyon south of Mulholland Drive is also a neighborhood in the Beverly Crest Neig ...
and Woodman avenues and on the west generally by Balboa Boulevard. It had been moved from
Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...
after Councilman Don A. Allen was elected to the State Assembly."Council Votes Redistricting After Flare-up Over Changes," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 24, 1956, page B-1
/ref> Corman did not finish his term, being elected to Congress in 1960.


Congress

"In with President Kennedy and out with President Carter," he would say after he left the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
. He served in the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1981. Corman served as the chair of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds, and organizes races in ...
from 1976 to 1981. Until
Sean Patrick Maloney Sean Patrick Maloney (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative from from 2013 to 2023. The district includes Newburgh, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie. A member of the Democratic Party, Malone ...
’s defeat in
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, Corman was the most recent chairman of the DCCC to lose re-election. In 1980, Corman was narrowly defeated for re-election by Los Angeles School Board member
Bobbi Fiedler Roberta Frances "Bobbi" Fiedler (née Horowitz; April 22, 1937 – March 3, 2019) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Representative from California. Early life and education Born Roberta Frances Horowitz in Santa Monica, ...
.


Later career

After his Congressional service, he opened a
lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...
firm, Corman Law Offices, in Washington, D.C., with a partner, William Kirk. Their clients included MCA Inc.,
American Newspaper Publishers Association The News Media Alliance (formerly known as the Newspaper Association of America until 2016Structured Settlements A structured settlement is a negotiated financial or insurance arrangement through which a claimant agrees to resolve a personal injury tort claim by receiving part or all of a settlement in the form of periodic payments on an agreed schedule, ...
Trade Association. The firm merged with Silverstein & Mullens in January 1990. Corman represented
Texas Air Corporation Texas Air Corporation, also known as Texas Air, was an airline holding company, incorporated in June 1980 by airline investor Frank Lorenzo to hold and invest in airlines. The company had its headquarters in the America Tower in the American G ...
president
Frank Lorenzo Francisco Anthony "Frank" Lorenzo (born May 19, 1940) is an American businessman. He is well known for his management of Continental Airlines and Texas International Airlines, between 1972 and 1990, through airline deregulation. Lorenzo also le ...
in his contested
takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
of
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started ...
. He stopped representing the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) is a United States liberal advocacy group whose goal is to protect Social Security and Medicare. NCPSSM works to preserve entitlement programs through direct mail campaigns, ...
because of its "high-pressure fund-raising methods and alarmist pronouncements."Alan C. Miller, "Profile: James C. Corman," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 15, 1989
/ref> In 1985 he was elected president of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of church ...
.


Personal life

A Methodist, he was married on June 22, 1946, to Virginia Little of
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...
. They had two children, Mary Ann and James C., Jr. He was said to be "extremely bright, intensely private and sometimes moody"Myrna Oliver, "James C. Corman: 10-Term Valley Congressman Championed Civil Rights, Welfare Legislation," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 3, 2001
/ref> as well as "a courtly man in a tumultuous time ... with old-fashioned graciousness." At age 68, he was described as a "dapper in monogrammed shirts, leather suspenders and wing-tipped shoes." Corman died at age 80 on December 30, 2000, after suffering a
stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...
in a rehabilitation facility in
Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...
. He was survived by his fourth wife, Nancy Breetwor-Malone. They had two children, Adam and Brian. A funeral service was held in
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, and interment followed.


Legacy

In 2001, the
Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...
Federal Building was named in his honor. He was portrayed by Stoney Westmoreland in the 2016 film '' All the Way''. The James C. Corman papers are held in the University Library at
California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
.


References


External links


''Congressional Biographical Directory''Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corman, James C. 1920 births 2000 deaths Belmont High School (Los Angeles) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Los Angeles City Council members University of California, Los Angeles alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery USC Gould School of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians People from Galena, Kansas United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II