Alphonzo Bell, Jr. (September 19, 1914–April 25, 2004) was an eight-term congressman who represented Los Angeles, California's influential Westside. September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is, along with the United States Senate, one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... West Los Angeles (West L.A. in the short form) or the Westside is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean, west of La Cienega Boulevard (or, occasionally, Fairfax or even La Brea Avenue), south of the...

Family Background

Bell was a scion of the pioneering ranching, oil and development family that gave its name to the Southern California communities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Bell Canyon, and Bel-Air. His father, Alphonzo Bell, Sr., used oil company profits to develop tony Westside communities, including parts of Westwood, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades and Bel-Air. Bell Gardens is a city located in United States. ... Bel Air is the name of several places in the United States of America: Bel Air, Alabama Bel Air, Los Angeles, California Bel Air, Kentucky Bel Air, Maryland Bel Air, Tennessee Bel Air, Texas Bel Air, Virginia (two places): in Fairfax County in Stafford County Outside America: Bel Air, Mauritius... Alphonzo Edward Bell was a male tennis player from the United States. ...

The younger Bell earned a degree in political science from Occidental College. After serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II, he joined the family oil company and served as its president from 1947 until 1959. Also a rancher and cattleman, Bell sold the oil company in 1975.

Congressional Record

From 1950 to 1977, Bell represented a vast congressional district -- the 28th and, after redistricting, the 27th -- running along the coast from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and encompassing all or part of Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel-Air and West L.A. Then considered a Republican stronghold, the district nevertheless had only 40% to 49% GOP voter registration, and bipartisan approval was essential. The Malibu pier near the famous Surfrider Beach The Pacific Coast Highway in central Malibu The Paradise Cove pier in Malibu Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California. ... Santa Monica beach and pier Santa Monica Pier entrance Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. It borders Santa Monica Bay (part of the Pacific Ocean) on the west, Pacific Palisades and Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles and Mar Vista on the... Pacific Palisades is a district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located between Brentwood to the east, Malibu to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. ... Brentwood is a district in the West Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Bel Air is a neighborhood in west Los Angeles, California, USA. The faux-gated community was founded by Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr. ...

Bell entered politics through Republican Party positions. He served as chairman of the Republican Central Committee of Los Angeles County, chairman of the Republican State Central Committee of California and as a member of the Republican National Committee. This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Bush/Cheney, 2004 Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman is the current Chairman of the RNC. The Republican National Committee (RNC) provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. ...

In Congress, Bell became known as mildly hawkish on foreign policy -- he backed the Vietnam War through three presidential administrations -- but often liberal on domestic issues that included open housing laws and other civil rights legislation. Some called Bell a political conservative, others a moderate. A Ralph Nader study on Bell's voting record in 1972 said: "It's hard to say exactly what he is. He leans in many areas, especially those concerning economic regulation, toward the conservatives. When it comes to the people issues, especially those concerning the downtrodden in American society, Bell is a liberal." The congressman described himself as "middle-ground" and said he voted according to principle and an issue's merits rather than political expediency. "A moderate," he told a Los Angeles Times columnist in 1970, "has to study harder. The extremist at either end doesn't have to do most of the work or most of the thinking -- he knows what he's for and against beforehand. A moderate has to decide each question on its own merits." Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 230,000 South Vietnamese wounded: 300,000 US dead... Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist. ... The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ...

As a ranking member of the House committees on Science and Astronautics and on Education and Labor, he earned bipartisan approval for his work on such diverse bills as the Older Americans Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and laws improving labor standards, workers' safety, veterans' benefits and environmental protection programs. He helped create a public park in the Santa Monica Mountains and open San Onofre beaches to the public.

Wealthy, handsome and mild-mannered, Bell had no trouble appealing to voters in both parties. In 1964, he won reelection with the largest margin of any Republican congressman that year, and in 1966 he won by the largest plurality of any congressman of either party. He was so well-liked that one of his campaign aides once complained about the problems of raising Bell's visibility outside his own district, saying: "As a political figure without a breath of scandal, he never got much in the newspapers."

Bell was unable, however, to transfer his popularity into winning higher office. He tried twice -- with an effort to unseat incumbent Sam Yorty in the Los Angeles mayoral race in 1969 and, in 1976, vying for a U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat John V. Tunney. Yorty retained his office, and Tunney fell to S.I. Hayakawa, who defeated Bell in the Republican primary. Samuel William Yorty (October 1, 1909 – June 5, 1998) was an outspoken politician from Los Angeles, California. ... John Varick Tunney (born June 26, 1934), American politician, is a former U.S. Senator and Representative. ...

The mayoral race illustrated Bell's independence and determination to do what he believed in even though it could harm him politically. After he lost the primary, he actively campaigned for its winner, Democrat Tom Bradley. Bell had long opposed Yorty, claiming he was "temperamentally unsuited" to govern Los Angeles and that his constant bickering with Washington had prevented the city from getting federal funds. Bell said Yorty's racial campaign against Bradley, along with earlier smear tactics against other opponents, filled him with revulsion. Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, 1973-1993 Thomas (Tom) Bradley (December 29, 1917 – September 29, 1998) was the mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1973 to 1993 (five terms) and the first African American mayor of that city. ...

But Bell's support of Bradley in the nonpartisan race so irked some conservative Republican constituents, such as fellow oilman and Yorty backer Henry Salvatori, that Republican attorney John LaFollette was put forth to run for Bell's congressional seat in 1970. Bell prevailed and remained in Congress. Henry Salvatori (1901 – July 7, 1997) was born in Italy and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1906. ...

Personal Life

Once divorced and twice widowed, Bell had one daughter and eight sons.

In 1970, he married television/movie actress Marian McCargo, who was also a former tennis champion and Wightman Cup winner.

Bell died of complications of pneumonia in 2004, just eighteen days after the death of his wife from pancreatic cancer. Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the microscopic, alveoli (air-filled sacs) responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... Pancreatic cancer (also called cancer of the pancreas) is represented by the growth of a malignant tumour within the small pancreas organ. ...