William Harvey Kindig (February 7, 1869 – September 18, 1946), known as Will H. Kindig or W.H. Kindig, was a candidate for California state controller in 1934, Los Angeles City Council member from 1935 to 1937 and a sponsor of the Ham and Eggs movement for old-age pensions in California in 1939.

Biography

Kindig moved to California about 1905"Obituary," ''Los Angeles Times,'' September 21, 1946, page 8
/ref> and may have operated the Hotel Sierra Madre "at the foot of Mount Wilson" in 1909. In 1935, he published a book titled ''ABC of

Metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, Being a Compilation From Radio Talks on Philosophical Subjects by the Author During 1934 to 1935 ... '' He was a

broker A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be con ...

"Rush Opens for Offices," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 16, 1935, page 8
/ref> but was also known as an "authority on

international finance International finance (also referred to as international monetary economics or international macroeconomics) is the branch of financial economics broadly concerned with monetary and macroeconomic interrelations between two or more countries. Inter ...

." Kindig was one of the organizers of the

Braille Institute The Braille Institute of America (BIA) is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Los Angeles providing programs, seminars and one-on-one instruction for the visually impaired community in Southern California. Funded almost entirely by pri ...

. His home was at 4125 South Figueroa Street in today's

Vermont Square Vermont Square is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, within the South Los Angeles region. The Vermont Square Branch library, a designated Historic–Cultural Monument, is located in the community. Geography The name "Vermont Square" w ...

area. He died at the age of 77 in September 1946, leaving a widow, Margaret.

Public affairs

Controller candidate

Kindig was the

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...

-endorsed candidate for

California State Controller The state controller of California is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of California. Thirty-two individuals have held the office of state controller since statehood. The incumbent is Betty Yee ...

in the 1934 election, but he was beaten in the Democratic Party primary by the incumbent, Ray L. Riley, a registered Republican, who had 317,094 votes to Kindig's 296,758. Kindig did not cross-file in the Republican race.

City Council

Elections

''See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1935–37.'' Kindig ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 7 seat in 1935 after the incumbent, Howard W. Davis, decided to take a break from politics. The district was bounded on the east by Alameda Avenue, on the west by

Crenshaw Boulevard Crenshaw Boulevard is a north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a 23-mile (37.76 km) route in the west-central part of the city. The street extends between Wilshire Boul ...

, on the north by Exposition Boulevard and on the south by Vernon Avenue. With the support of the

End Poverty in California End Poverty in California (EPIC) was a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of ''The Jungle''). The movement formed the basis for Sinclair's campaign for Governor of California in 1934. The p ...

movement, he beat Dwight Baker by a vote of 8,077 to 7,597 that year. Davis returned in 1937, though, and recaptured his old position by a vote of 8,010 for himself and 6,705 for Kindig. It was said in advance of the 1937 election that Kindig had lost the "virile, aggressive support of the entire liberal movement."

Positions

Advertising: Kindig scoffed at the idea that the city's legal advertising should be printed in local community newspapers. "I think this argument that the public benefit is to be served by using these newspapers is a lot of

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

," he told the council when it discussed the matter. Bookmaking: Eying the "stream of gold," or money receipts, at nearby

Santa Anita Racetrack Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

, Kindig, along with other council members, urged the city attorney to hasten a legal opinion whether the city could tax the illegal bookmakers operating in Los Angeles. "The racing season is on, it will soon be over, and if we can legitimately get any revenue from the business of book-making, I think we should lose no time on it," he said.

Radio stations

Kindig, who besides being a councilman was also treasurer of the Democratic State Central Committee, asked the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

to give him a license to operate a radio station in Los Angeles to reflect the "liberal and progressive" side of politics. He was supported in his request by fellow Council Members

G. Vernon Bennett Guy Vernon Bennett (February 17, 1880 – July 31, 1968) was superintendent of schools in Pomona, a professor of education at the University of Southern California, and a Los Angeles city councilman from the 10th District from 1935 to 1951. He ...

Parley Parker Christensen Parley Parker Christensen (July 19, 1869 – February 10, 1954) was an American attorney and politician who was a Utah state representative, a Los Angeles City Council member, and the Farmer–Labor Party's presidential nominee during the 1920 ...

and James M. Hyde and by County Supervisor

John Anson Ford John Anson Ford (September 29, 1883 – November 3, 1983)California Death Index
, retrieve ...

. The FCC turned him down by a 2–1 vote.

Ham and Eggs

Kindig was one of the organizers of a proposed California pension plan known as the Ham and Eggs Movement or "Thirty Dollars Every Thursday" plan. It was he, along with Roy and Lawrence Allen and Roy G. Owens, all of Los Angeles, who submitted a revised version of the plan in 1939 after voters turned down a different version in the 1938 election. The plan the voters faced in 1940 would have the governor name an administrator for the program — according to the proposed initiative legislation he would have to choose between "Roy G. Owens or Will H. Kindig," who would serve until the general election of 1944. The two men were roundly condemned by the nationally known conservative commentator

Westbrook Pegler Francis James Westbrook Pegler (August 2, 1894 – June 24, 1969) was an American journalist and writer. He was a popular columnist in the 1930s and 1940s famed for his opposition to the New Deal and labor unions. Pegler aimed his pen at president ...

as "adventurers in emotional politics."Pegler, "Fair Enough," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 2, 1939, page A
/ref> The proposal was defeated by the electorate.

References

Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links requires the use of a library card. ---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Kindig, William Harvey 1889 births 1946 deaths Los Angeles City Council members California Democrats 20th-century American politicians