Arthur Alber (September 16, 1892 – December 13, 1964) was an attorney and a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1927 to 1929. Elected to the Los Angeles City Council District 2 in the May 1927 primary election, Alber is known for introducing a resolution to prohibit the rolling down of men's bathing suit shirts, and opposing a resolution permitting the city of Hawthorne to petition for consolidation with the city of

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Biography

Alber was born September 16, 1892, in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. His parents were Hermann Alber, a native of Germany, and Mary Wing of

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

. He attended the local public schools until he was fifteen when he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. His ...

. In 1910, he took the role of Shady in a student production of the operetta '' Pauline,'' and during his high school years he played football, tennis, and baseball; he was baseball

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. He graduated in June 1912 and returned for Alumni Visitors Day in January 1913, when he gave a talk on Civil War Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

. Between 1914 and 1918 he attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he earned letters in baseball and tennis."In the Public Schools," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 5, 1913, page II-16
/ref> Sources differ as to his World War I service. A report from a telephone interview with a

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writer in 1937 noted that he "served in the Army at

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, where he attended officers training school," but a 1926 article in the ''Los Angeles Times'' said: "Due to injuries resulting from an accident, Mr. Alber was unable to see active service with the army or navy during the World War, but served as a sergeant in the spruce woods." Another 1926 story said he was discharged from the Army in March 1919 and that he was on the stadium committee of the Hollywood

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post. Alber earned a law degree from the University of Southern California and was admitted to the

California State Bar The State Bar of California is an administrative division of the Supreme Court of California which licenses attorneys and regulates the practice of law in California. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law ...

on March 1, 1919. He was unmarried as of 1937. Alber was a Presbyterian, a Republican and a member of the Hollywood Athletic, Los Angeles Athletic, Lakeside Golf and Westport Beach clubs, as well as being a Kiwanian.Los Angeles Public Library reference file
/ref>"They Got Members," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 25, 1924, page 8
/ref>"Kiwanis Nine and Lions Mix on Diamond," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 17, 1923, page I-9
/ref> He died on December 13, 1964.

Political life

Alber was a candidate in 1926 for the 63rd Assembly District seat being vacated by Sidney T. Graves. Alber had the ''Times'' endorsement but came in second to Clare Woolwine. The other candidates were Ernest E. Noon and Voltaire Perkins. Alber was elected to the Los Angeles City Council District 2 in the May 1927 primary election, ousting six-year incumbent Robert M. Allan by a vote of 4,980 to 2,399. It was said that Alber's victory was partly due to the voters' making a "clean sweep at the City Hall" of the council members allied with the political boss Kent Kane Parrot."The Watchman," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 8, 1927, page B-5
/ref> In his council activity, he was known for introducing a resolution in July 1929 that would have prohibited the rolling down of the shirts of men's bathing suits to the waistline. Only he voted in favor, all the other councilmen being opposed."Male Bathers Gain Victory," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 12, 1929, page 5
/ref> He was also the lone holdout against a resolution that gave the city of Hawthorne permission to circulate a petition asking for consolidation with the city of Los Angeles, stating that L.A. "should not adopt children until it knows that it can provide for them.""Hawthorne Annexation Supported," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 9, 1928, page A-1
/ref> For the Christmas season, 1927, Alber presided over a council meeting wearing a silk hat from Paris, presented to him by Councilman Isaac F. Hughes."Council 'High-Hats' Alber," ''Los Angeles Times,''December 24, 1927, page A-11
/ref> Alber did not run for reelection in 1929 but returned to private law practice.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alber, Arthur Los Angeles City Council members California lawyers 1892 births 1964 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Hollywood High School alumni Lawyers from Birmingham, Alabama USC Trojans baseball players USC Gould School of Law alumni 20th-century California politicians California Republicans 20th-century American lawyers