Dan McCorquodale (born December 17, 1934) is an American politician from
Newton, Texas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Newton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,633 at the 2020 census.
History
Both Newton County and its county seat, Newton, were named after John Newton, a supposed hero of the Americ ...
, a former California State Senator, and a member of the
Democratic Party.
Early career
Before entering politics, McCorquodale was a teacher in the California public schools. McCorquodale then served as a
Santa Clara County Supervisor, winning election in 1972 and being reelected in 1976 and 1980.
State Senate
In 1982, McCorquodale was elected to the
San Jose based 12th district in 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.
...
, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent
Dan O'Keefe.
Early career
ditFrom 1953 to 1956, McCorquodale was a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. After graduating from college and before entering politics, he served as a public school teacher in California. In 1964, he was the youngest person ever elected to the City Council in Chula Vista, where he served as Mayor from 1968 to 1969. Moving to San Jose, McCorquodale spent a year walking precincts—almost daily—to introduce himself to voters in Santa Clara County’s Third Supervisorial District. In 1972, “Walking Dan” as he was called upset an entrenched incumbent and was elected to three terms representing north and east San Jose, a portion of the City of Santa Clara, and the cities of Milpitas and Sunnyvale. Twice he served as Chairperson of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. During his three terms on the Board, he distinguished himself in the issues of environmental protection, transportation, water reclamation, parks, justice, and health and human services.
Awards and Honors
(partial list)
dit1986 - Legislator of the Year, California Trial Lawyers Association
1987 - Humanitarian of the Year, Humane Society
1988 – Legislator of the Year, California Planning and Conservation League
1991 – Legislator of the Year, National Organization for Women
1991 – Elected Official of the Year, California Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons
1992 – Legislator of the Year, California Park and Recreation Society
[terry leveille, Capitol spokesperson]
Defeat
In 1986, he won a difficult reelection against
Santa Clara County Supervisor Tom Legan. Although he won easy reelection in 1990, McCorquodale lost his seat in 1994 to
Dick Monteith a conservative
Republican businessman. His senate district had shifted from his home base of San Jose into the more conservative Central Valley after reapportionment partly leading to his defeat in a mid-term election in which the GOP made significant gains.
References
External links
JoinCalifornia Dan McCorquodale
#
1934 births
Living people
Democratic Party California state senators
County supervisors in California
People from Newton, Texas
20th-century members of the California State Legislature
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