Richard Joseph Riordan (May 1, 1930 – April 19, 2023) was an American businessman, investor, military commander, philanthropist, and politician. A decorated

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

veteran and a member of the Republican Party, Riordan served as the 39th

mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

from 1993 to 2001; he remains the most recent Republican to hold that office. He ran for governor in the

2002 California gubernatorial election The 2002 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 5, 2002. Gray Davis, a California Democratic Party, Democrat and the incumbent governor of California, defeated the California Republican Party, Republican cha ...

, losing the Republican primary. After politics, he resumed his business career, specializing in

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

Early life, education, and career

Riordan was born in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...

, to an Irish-American family, the son of Geraldine (Doyle) and William O. Riordan. He was the youngest of their nine children. After growing up in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, he first 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' ...

on a football scholarship, but transferred to

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he graduated in 1952 with an A.B. in philosophy. His senior thesis was titled "A Study of the Thomistic Faculty Psychology." He then served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant during the

. After leaving the military, he earned a J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School in 1956. That year, he moved to Los Angeles, joining the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

O'Melveny & Myers O'Melveny & Myers LLP is an American multinational law firm founded in Los Angeles in 1885. The firm employs approximately 800 lawyers and has offices in California, Washington, D.C., New York City, Texas, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, S ...

. In 1959, he left to become a partner of Nossaman LLP. In 1975, he was a founding partner of the law firm Riordan & McKinzie, which merged with

Bingham McCutchen Bingham McCutchen LLP was a global law firm with approximately 850 attorneys in nine US offices and five international offices. It ceased operations in late 2015, when several hundred of its partners and associate lawyers left the firm to join Phi ...

in 2003. Riordan began investing in the 1950s with an $80,000 inheritance from his father, which he eventually grew into a multimillion dollar fortune. In 1982, he was a founder of the private equity firm Riordan, Lewis & Haden. As a philanthropist, he founded the Riordan Foundation, a charity for expanding childhood literacy.

Mayor of Los Angeles

When Tom Bradley announced he was retiring as

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

, Riordan set his sights on the 1993 election. Riordan won with 54% of the vote, becoming the first Republican mayor in 36 years. As Mayor, the heavily Democratic

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

blocked many of his proposals, or they proved unfeasible in reality. For example, the police academy did not have enough classroom space or instructors to train as many new police officers as Riordan had initially promised. He streamlined certain business regulations and established "one-stop" centers around the city for services, like permit applications. Riordan feuded with police chief

Daryl Gates Daryl Francis Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was an American police officer who served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only t ...

' successor, former Philadelphia

police commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Willie Williams, but oversaw a general decline in city crime. Ultimately, Riordan replaced Williams with

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

veteran

Bernard Parks Bernard C. Parks (born December 7, 1943) is an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th district in South Los Angeles from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Parks served as C ...

in 1997, the year he was re-elected mayor over California State Senator

Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, becoming an i ...

. Riordan's tenure was marked by controversy over the

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the Transportation in Los Angeles, public transportation system in Los Ang ...

's Red Line subway's construction cost overruns. Because the overruns resulted in MTA funds being reallocated from bus funding, the Bus Riders Union sued the city, alleging racial discrimination, resulting in a 1996

consent decree A consent decree is an agreement or settlement that resolves a dispute between two parties without admission of guilt (in a criminal case) or liability (in a civil case). Most often it is such a type of settlement in the United States. The ...

that eviscerated MTA funding for subway and

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

construction projects. Riordan publicly stated that he regretted signing the consent decree and it was his biggest mistake as mayor. Before becoming mayor, Riordan spearheaded the city's successful

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

ballot initiative and he was therefore term-limited from office in 2001. Riordan endorsed his adviser and friend,

Steve Soboroff Steve Soboroff (born August 31, 1948) is an American businessperson who was Los Angeles Police Commissioner from 2013 to 2023, where he spearheaded the use of body cams for the LAPD. Days after the catastrophic Palisades fire began in Los Ange ...

, to succeed him. Soboroff, however, came in third in the non-partisan mayoral primary election. Former California State Assembly Speaker

Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr. on January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary C ...

advanced to the runoff against

James Hahn James Kenneth Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Hahn was elected the 40th mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Prior to his term a ...

. Riordan endorsed Villaraigosa in the second round, but Hahn won and succeeded him as mayor. Four years later, Villaraigosa defeated Hahn in the 2005 rematch and became Mayor.

2002 California gubernatorial race

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, Riordan decided to seek the

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

. In the Republican

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, he faced

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 ...

businessman Bill Simon and former

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's o ...

Bill Jones. Although Riordan had a 30-point lead early in the race, Simon beat him by 18 points. Riordan's loss mainly can be attributed to a conservative Republican party base that rejected his moderate Republicanism and efforts to move the party to the political center. Incumbent Democratic Governor

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 ...

felt he had a much better chance to beat Simon, so he spent millions of dollars running attack ads against Riordan in the Republican primary. Davis's cross-party strategy was successful. Riordan lost the primary, and Davis defeated Simon 47%–42% in the general election.

''The Los Angeles Examiner''

In early 2003, Riordan circulated a prototype of a locally-focused, sophisticated, and politically-independent weekly newspaper, ''The Los Angeles Examiner,'' he hoped to start publishing in June. It was, however, never published. Riordan put the project on hold when Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

, who defeated Grey Davis in the October 2003 recall election, appointed him California Secretary of Education. He served in the position from 2003 until he resigned in 2005.

Later political involvement

Riordan continued to be involved in city politics after his mayoralty. In the

2001 Los Angeles mayoral election The 2001 Los Angeles mayoral election was for a four-year term as mayor of Los Angeles, California. It took place on April 10, 2001, with a runoff on June 5, 2001. Incumbent mayor Richard Riordan was prevented from running for a third term bec ...

, Riordan endorsed his friend and adviser

in the primary and

in the general election. In 2005, he backed former State Assembly Speaker

Robert Hertzberg Robert Myles Hertzberg (born November 19, 1954) is an American politician who previously served in the California State Senate. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he represented the California's 18th State Senate district, 18th Senate D ...

in the primary and Antonio Villaraigosa in the general election. In both races, he chose not to endorse

. Riordan played a role in City Council elections, supporting

Bill Rosendahl William Joseph Rosendahl (May 15, 1945 – March 30, 2016) was an American politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council, representing Council District 11 from 2005 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to being a cou ...

, who won election in the Eleventh District in 2005;

Monica Rodriguez Monica Rodriguez is an American politician in California. She currently serves as a Los Angeles City Council member, and represents the 7th district. The district is located in the San Fernando Valley, and includes the neighborhoods of Pacoima, ...

, who lost to Seventh District Councilman

Richard Alarcon Richard Anthony Alarcon (born November 24, 1953) is an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1993 to 1998 and again from 2007 to 2013. A Democrat, he previously served in the California State Senate and ...

in 2007; and Adeena Bleich, who lost to Paul Koretz and David Vahedi, who advanced to the runoff election. In

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Riordan endorsed

Wendy Greuel Wendy Jane Greuel (born May 23, 1961) is an American politician. She served as Los Angeles City Controller from 2009 to 2013. Greuel was the second woman elected to citywide office in Los Angeles, after her predecessor Laura Chick. Previously, ...

for mayor. She ultimately was defeated by then-Council member

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...

Personal life and legacy

The Richard J. Riordan Central Library in Los Angeles is named after him. Riordan owned the Original Pantry Cafe, which operated in Los Angeles from 1924 to 2025, and

Gladstones Malibu Gladstones Malibu is an American seafood restaurant located on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. History The original Gladstones was opened by Robert J. Morris on the site of the former Ted's Grill ...

, which has been open since 1972. Riordan was married four times and had five children, two of whom predeceased him. He died at home in Brentwood on April 19, 2023, at age 92.

References

External links

* * "Still at sea: PLC Global Counsel law firm review 2003
Practical Law UK Signon
November 18, 2003. * Taub, Daniel.
Riordan made his fortune backing start-up ventures
" ''Los Angeles Business Journal'', June 30, 1997 * Wood, Daniel B.

" ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

'', August 5, 2003 * Zwiebach, Elloitt "The LBO maker (leveraged buyouts, Riordan Freeman & Spogli merchant bank)", Supermarket News, July 1987 * Ard, Scott
I know you are, but what am I?
" CNET News, July 9, 2004 * Murphy, Jarrett
Furor Over 'Stupid Dirty Girl'
"

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

, July 9, 2004
"Biography of Richard J. Riordan 39th Mayor of Los Angeles (1993–2001)"
Los Angeles Almanac. 1998–2019 Given Place Media, publishing as Los Angeles Almanac. January 2, 2019
Biography of Richard J. Riordan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Richard 1930 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century mayors of places in California 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century mayors of places in California American investment bankers American people of Irish descent American venture capitalists Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from Queens, New York California Republicans Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Lawyers from Los Angeles Lawyers from Queens, New York Mayors of Los Angeles Military personnel from New Rochelle, New York People associated with O'Melveny & Myers People from Brentwood, Los Angeles People from Flushing, Queens Politicians from New Rochelle, New York Princeton University alumni Santa Clara University alumni State cabinet secretaries of California University of Michigan Law School alumni United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War