Brien Thomas "B. T." Collins (October 17, 1940 – March 19, 1993) was an American politician from

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 ...

and a member of the Republican party.

Early years

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Collins served as a

Green Beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos, a special-forces unit active during World War II. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Roy ...

Captain during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and lost his right arm and right leg to a grenade attack in 1967. Upon returning to the United States, Collins enrolled at

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, earning a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1970 and a J.D. in 1973.

Executive branch

In 1979, Collins was appointed by Democratic

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

as Director of the

California Conservation Corps The California Conservation Corps, CCC, is a department of the government of California, falling under the state Cabinet (government), cabinet-level California Resources Agency. The CCC is a voluntary work development program specifically for me ...

. During his California Conservation Corps service, Collins gained notoriety for drinking a beaker of

malathion Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide which acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. In the USSR, it was known as carbophos, in New Zealand and Australia as maldison and in South Africa as mercaptothion. The compound's name is presumably ...

to demonstrate his belief that it was safe. Although a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Brown nevertheless appointed the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Republican Collins to replace

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor ...

as his

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

, a position Collins held from 1981 until Brown left office in 1983. Collins served as chief deputy to Republican

California State Treasurer The state treasurer of California is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Government of California, government of the U.S. state of California. 34 individuals have held the office of state treasurer since statehood. The incumb ...

Tom Hayes from 1989 until 1991, when Hayes left office and Republican Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

appointed Collins as director of the

California Youth Authority The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), was a division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that provided education, training, and treatment services ...

State Assembly

After Sacramento-area Republican

Tim Leslie Robert Timothy Leslie (born February 4, 1942) is an American politician from California and a member of the Republican Party in United States. Early life and education Born in Ashland, Oregon, Leslie moved to California with his family as a tw ...

won a 1991 special election to the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

to replace

John Doolittle John Taylor Doolittle (born October 30, 1950), is an attorney and an American politician. Elected to Congress in 1990, he served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing (numbered as ...

, who had been elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, Wilson encouraged Collins to run for Leslie's vacant seat in the State Assembly. Collins won a special election that September for the Sacramento-area

5th District District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

against fellow Republican

Barbara Alby Barbara Alby (August 9, 1946 – December 9, 2012) was an American politician who lived in Fair Oaks, California and was a member of the Republican Party. Early life Barbara Alby was born on August 9, 1946 in the Town and Country area of ...

, and narrowly beat her again in the 1992 GOP primary.

Death

Collins died of a sudden heart attack March 19, 1993 in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

while serving his second term in the State Assembly. Alby won the special election to replace him. Several sites in Sacramento have been named in his honor, including the BT Collins Juvenile Justice Center in Sacramento. When the Sacramento Army Depot was redesignated as an Army Reserve Center in the mid-1990s, it was renamed the B.T. Collins Army Reserve Center. There is also a park in the City of Folsom named the B.T. Collins City Park located at 828 Willow Creek Drive,

Folsom, California Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 72,203 residents at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Nisenan tribe of Ind ...

. The men's restroom in the

Santa Clara University School of Law The Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara Law) is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911. Santa Cla ...

library was named the "B.T. Collins Memorial Latrine" in his honor; it features a plaque over the

urinal A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture similar to a toilet, but for urination only. Urinals are often provided in men's public restrooms in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. ...

with a quote from Collins: "If it ain't in Gilbert's, it ain't the Law."

Electoral history

References

External links

B.T. Collins candidate information
at JoinCalifornia.com
B.T. Collins Scholarship
official site
B.T. Collins "Captain Hook" Scholarship
at

*
B.T. Collins remembered on 25th Anniversary of his passing
at

KFBK (AM) KFBK (1530 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Sacramento, California. It is simulcast on KFBK-FM 93.1 MHz. KFBK-AM-FM air a news- talk radio format and are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on River Park Drive in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, B.T. Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Jerry Brown Chiefs of staff to the governor of California American politicians with disabilities American amputees United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Members of the United States Army Special Forces United States Army officers Santa Clara University alumni 1993 deaths 1940 births 20th-century members of the California State Legislature