Carlos Bee (May 5, 1917 – November 29, 1974) was an American Democratic Party politician from California who served in multiple offices, most notably speaker

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

in the

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

Early life

Born in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, Bee came from a political family the son of U.S. Representative Carlos Bee from Texas and grandson of Hamilton P. Bee, who was

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the ...

from 1855 to 1856. After graduating from

South Pasadena High School South Pasadena High School (SPHS or "South Pas") is the one public high school serving grades 9–12 in the city of South Pasadena, California. With the South Pasadena Middle School and three elementary schools (Arroyo Vista, Marengo, and Montere ...

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 26,943, up from 25,619 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Western San Gabriel Valley. It is in area and lies betwe ...

the younger Bee graduated from Santa Barbara State College (now

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

) in 1940.

Career

After graduating from college, Bee worked as a high school teacher in

Hayward, California Hayward is a city located in Alameda County, California, United States, in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, and the third largest in ...

, for 12 years. From 1948 to 1954, Bee served on the Hayward City Council, serving as mayor from 1952 to 1954. Bee won his first election to the

in 1954. He was first sworn in to the Assembly on January 3, 1955. During his tenure in the Assembly, Bee served on the Rules Committee as well as the Committees on Intergovernmental Relations, Retirement, and Transportation. Bee introduced a bill to establish the California State College at Hayward (now

California State University, East Bay California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay, CSU East Bay, or CSUEB) is a public university in Hayward, California. The university is part of the California State University system and offers 136 undergraduate and 60 post-baccala ...

); Governor

Goodwin Knight Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician and judge who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 to 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 35th lieutenant ...

signed the bill into law on July 5, 1957. From 1959 to 1968, and 1971 to 1974, he served as speaker

in the

. Nearly three weeks after winning reelection, Bee died in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, on November 29, 1974. He was 57. Carlos Bee Boulevard in Hayward adjacent to Cal State East Bay and Carlos Bee Park in

Castro Valley Castro Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, it was the fourth most populous unincorporated area in California. The population was 66,441 at the 2020 census. Castro Valley is ...

are named after him.https://library.csueastbay.edu/little-known_facts/full-text

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bee, Carlos Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly 1917 births 1974 deaths Bee family Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Politicians from Berkeley, California California city council members Mayors of places in California People from Hayward, California University of California, Santa Barbara alumni People from South Pasadena, California 20th-century members of the California State Legislature