Joe Shell
Encyclopedia
Joseph Claude Shell, Sr. (September 7, 1918 – April 7, 2008) was an American
oil
producer and lobbyist who represented District 58 (West Los Angeles
- the Wilshire
area) in the California State Assembly
from 1953-1963. During 1961-62 he was the Assembly Republican
Minority Leader. The conservative
Shell is best remembered for having unsuccessfully opposed the more moderate candidate, Richard Nixon
, in the primary election
for Governor of California
held on June 5, 1962. Shell, however, contended that Nixon actually opposed him, for Shell had been committed to the governor's race for a year before Nixon's own entry. Shell is also remembered for his work in the early 1960s in locating additional water
sources to sustain the growth of California in the future.
in Skagit County
in northwestern Washington, to Joseph Lieb Shell and the former Nell Schunemann. The senior Shell was an Indian
agent for the United States Department of Interior in Washington State. When Joe was two years old, his family moved to San Diego
, where his father was a municipal and then superior court judge
, and his mother was a homemaker. He also had a sister, Cheryl. Shell graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in San Diego, where he was senior class president and a key football
player. One of his Hoover classmates was baseball
superstar Ted Williams
. Shell was recruited by the United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland
, and Stanford University
in Palo Alto
, but instead he chose to attend the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles. In 1940, he procured his bachelor of science
degree in business administration.
, Shell was the captain of the 1939 championship USC football team, which played twice in the Rose Bowl
in Pasadena
, having defeated the previously powerhouses Duke University
in 1939 and the University of Tennessee
in 1940. Among his teammates was quarterback
and Most Valuable Player Ambrose Schindler
, with whom Shell maintained a lifelong friendship. The "Thundering Herd", as the team was known, was coached by the legendary Howard Jones
. It was not until the 2000s that USC finally acknowledged the national championship which had been won by the team, because newspaper rankings of the period – which over the years had come to be a more widely recognized standard – had been divided between two other teams.
who owed the senior Shell money offered to pay in-kind. He secured his pilot's license at the age of sixteen. When World War II
began, Shell had flown some 2,000 hours, was studying law
at USC, and was already engaged in the oil business. At the start of the war, he was a civilian instructor for the United States Army Air Corps
, the forerunner of the Air Force
. When the Air Corps insisted that he remain an instructor, rather than enlist, Shell instead became a United States Navy
pilot in 1943. After the war, he was a member of the reserves. He continued to fly after the war a number of planes which he owned: a Grumman Wildcat, a Corsair
, a P-51, a Beech Staggerwing, and a Beechcraft Model 18
, or "Twin Beech".
Act to have been his crowning legislative achievement. The law helped thousands of young people secure an education at both private and public universities.
In his last legislative term, Shell was chosen by his fellow Republicans as minority leader. The 58th District turned Democratic after Shell vacated the seat. No Republican has represented the district since 1992. In the 2006 general election, the Republican candidate drew less than 40 percent of the vote.
had vacillated for several months about a potential candidacy and had a national perspective, rather than extensive interest in state government. Shell remained in the race to carry the banner of the more conservative Republicans, with Nixon hence cast as the "moderate" candidate. Nixon defined himself in his own words as "a conservative —a progressive conservative." The California primary race was covered nationally because Nixon was a national figure who was expected to run again for President in the future, and California was then on the verge of surpassing New York
as the nation's most populous state. Shell was quoted in Time
magazine that he had "gotten sick and tired of calling people liberals when they're basically socialist
s."
Among Shell's financial backers was A. C. "Cy" Ruble, former chairman of Union Oil Company of California. In Bakersfield, Mary K. Shell, then Mary Hosking (born 1927) of the Kern County
Republican Women's Association, worked for the nomination of her future husband. In the same election, two other conservatives, including Howard Jarvis
, the future father of California Proposition 13
(1978), challenged liberal U.S. Senator Thomas H. Kuchel in the primary. Kuchel easily prevailed to gain renomination. He had initially succeeded Nixon in the Senate in 1953. The 1962 elections were the first in California in which cross-filing
across party lines had been abandoned.
During the gubernatorial campaign, Shell's plane was sabotage
d: somehow, barium
was placed in the second fuel tank. Had the pilot not discovered the problem, the plane would have crashed. Nixon's membership in the Council on Foreign Relations
, a foreign policy interest group
distrusted by many conservatives, became an issue in the race. Nixon arranged with the council that his name not appear on public releases as a member. The CFR (Page 42 of the 1952 Report) cautions that "Members of the Council are sometimes obliged, by their acceptance of government posts in Washington
and elsewhere, to curtail or suspend for a time their participation in Council activities."
Nixon secured an easy primary victory: 1,285,151 votes (65.4 percent) to Shell's 656,542 (33.4 percent), but he did not immediately consult Shell to seek rapprochement with the conservative wing of the party. Thereafter, he declared that "those who have supported Joe Shell will see that their differences with me are infinitesimal compared with their differences with Brown." Shell first demanded that Nixon agree to trim state spending by at least $200 million (then 7 percent of the state budget) and to "espouse conservatism" as the price of his endorsement. He asked to be able to name a third of the delegates to the next national convention and to name the party's vice-chairman. When a considerable number of Shell's Assembly colleagues objected to the demands that he imposed on the basis of having polled only a third of the primary vote, Shell relented and agreed to endorse Nixon and the entire Republican ticket, including Senator Kuchel.
Two leading liberal Republicans refused to support Nixon: Kuchel and former Lieutenant Governor
Harold J. Powers
, who had served under former Governor Goodwin J. Knight, who, had his health permitted, would have also run again for governor that year. Nixon also declined to endorse Kuchel for reelection. Powers was particularly critical of what he called Nixon's "cheap attempt to win votes" during the Cuban Missile Crisis
, which occurred near the end of the campaign. It was unclear what Powers meant, because Nixon had hailed Kennedy's handling of the crisis. Nixon's interest in the Cuban crisis during a gubernatorial race revealed to home-state voters that his concern lay with foreign affairs, rather than California domestic matters, a situation which worked to Brown's advantage.
The Massachusetts
-based John Birch Society
became an issue in California politics in 1962 as well, as three JBS members, including Representative John H. Rousselot
, fought unsuccessfully for seats in the U.S. House
. Nixon was critical of the society's founder, Robert Welch
, an erstwhile supporter of the late U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio
, who had declared U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, Taft's 1952 nomination opponent under whom Nixon had served as vice president, to have been a "dedicated, conscious agent of the communist conspiracy
". However, the statement has never been proven. State Republicans in their convention approved a watered-down resolution condemning the society leadership but not its rank-and-file. Shell was not affiliated with the JBS but opposed any attempts to remove society members from party activities. Nixon supporters claimed that Shell partisans sat out the gubernatorial contest and enabled Brown to win a second term. Conservatives, however, disputed that assertion. Henry Salvatori
, a southern California conservative operative, had convinced Shell to endorse Nixon. Conservatives claimed that they labored unenthusiastically for Nixon, but it was liberal Republicans, such as Kuchel and Powers, whose refusal to endorse him in the general election that proved decisive. Moreover, Nixon did not draw sufficient Democratic support in a state in which the GOP was in the minority by registration.
During the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964, Shell became Goldwater's financial chairman.
Though Nixon had attacked the JBS, he brought up the question of communist infiltration into government, including the California state government under Brown. He vowed to remove any employees found to be communist agents.
Ultimately, Nixon lost the election to Brown and held his "You-won't-have-Nixon-to-kick-around-any-more" press conference. Six years later, Nixon defeated Hubert H. Humphrey and George C. Wallace, Jr., for the presidency.
) founded the United Republicans of California to promote the potential presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
, who was not yet an announced contender. Bruce Reagan had been the unsuccessful candidate for comptroller
in 1962 against the Democratic incumbent Alan Cranston
. Unlike Shell, Bruce Reagan had been among those conservatives who had refused to endorse Nixon. The conservative dissidents opposed the "big-money" Rockefeller Republicans and launched a middle-class
grass-roots campaign. In San Marino
, for instance, fifteen groups went door-to-door in a registration drive that changed the composition of the California GOP. They distributed Goldwater literature and two conservative books, None Dare Call It Conspiracy by John Stormer and A Choice Not An Echo by Phyllis Schlafly
, then of Alton, Illinois
. Ultimately, the activists gave away some two million copies of the books.
In 1964, Shell was a Goldwater delegate to the Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
. Just a month earlier, Goldwater had narrowly won the California presidential primary on June 8 over Governor Nelson Rockefeller
of New York. In working for Goldwater, Shell personally financed a particular speech which he thought would be helpful. Nancy Reagan
contacted Shell and asked if her husband, actor Ronald Reagan, could deliver the speech to the Republican convention. Shell hesitated, but agreed when Mrs. Reagan persisted. This was not "The Speech", officially "A Time for Choosing
", delivered on national television on October 27, 1964, in which Reagan paraphrased Abraham Lincoln
and Franklin D. Roosevelt
in acknowledging the nation's "rendezvous with destiny". Shell was said to have regretted for the rest of his life having allowed Reagan to deliver the speech.
, a native of Louisiana
, also considered running that year but instead successfully sought his second and final term as superintendent of public instruction, a nonpartisan
position. In his 1998 work Triumph of the Right: The Rise of the California Conservative Movement, Kurt Schuparra called Shell "embittered" because the former Assemblyman believed that he should have the support of the conservative base that he had served so long and faithfully. Vernon Cristina, a Shell loyalist from 1962, tried to talk his friend out of running and instead to support Ronald Reagan. "You don't have the ingredients to win," said Cristina. Goldwater asked Rus Walton, who had been Shell's 1962 campaign manager, to convince Shell to defer to Reagan, but Walton declined to deliver the message to his old friend.
Ultimately, Reagan sealed up conservative support. Shell hesistated to support Reagan: he questioned Reagan's late conversion to the party and some of the leftist associations that Reagan maintained during the 1950s, when he had nevertheless supported Eisenhower for President. Reagan went on to secure the nomination by defeating former San Francisco Mayor
George Christopher, a Greek American
who had been Nixon's lieutenant governor running mate in 1962. Shell claimed that Reagan had earlier promised to support him for governor, an assertion that Reagan denied. Reagan financial backer Holmes Tuttle
pleaded with Shell to support Reagan and offered him a leading role in the campaign, but Shell demurred.
Shell said that his reservations about Reagan were vindicated as early as 1967, when the newly-inaugurated governor's appointment list reflected none of the conservatives recommended by Shell, but were instead mostly individuals who had backed Rockefeller over Goldwater in 1964. One of the appointees was Caspar Weinberger
of San Francisco, whose career would culminate as the United States Secretary of Defense
under President Reagan. Shell opposed Nixon's selection of Weinberger as state party chairman in 1962. In his 2001 memoir In the Arena, Weinberger said that Nixon had been "substantially weakened" because of Shell's challenge: He was a former football player at USC, which in Southern California was practically a passport to political advancement. . . . Nixon won the primary, but he did so without generating much GOP enthusiasm." Over the years, most conservatives considered Weinberger, originally a liberal Republican, to have become one of their own. Another such appointment was Houston I. Flournoy
, who in 1974 would carry the GOP banner in an unsuccessful bid to succeed Reagan as governor, having been defeated by Brown's son, Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.
Shell attended the 1968 convention
in Miami Beach
which nominated his old rival Nixon on the first ballot with relatively little opposition coming from Governors Rockefeller and Reagan. Shell said that later events proved Nixon unfit for the presidency: "I felt then that Nixon was bad for the party, and Watergate and the subsequent stain he left proved me right."
field as an independent oil producer. He drilled wells in the Bakersfield area even though he lived at the time in Los Angeles. Later he was an industry lobbyist and argued passionately for expanded drilling and refinery capacity to keep down the cost of fuel to consumers and to strengthen the American economy during the Cold War
. As a lobbyist, he commuted between Bakersfield and the capital in Sacramento
.
As an energy lobbyist in 1975, Shell fought the attempt of Governor Jerry Brown to repeal
the "depletion allowance," a tax break for the state's oil industry. Brown aimed his fire at "big oil" in an era of popular environmental activism on the West Coast. The decisive vote against the allowance was cast in the California Senate by the usually pro-business Republican Senator Robert S. Stevens. Shell claimed that Stevens had promised him that he would support keeping the allowance: "He had shaken my hand and told me he was with me." recalled Shell, who considered a handshake a bond of honor. Brown later rewarded Stevens with a judicial appointment, but Stevens was driven from the bench for making salacious telephone calls.
In 1982, Shell opposed the gubernatorial candidacy of Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb
, a recording company executive, though Curb had the backing of many conservatives in southern California. Shell recalled that some of those backing Curb had also been Nixon loyalists two decades earlier. Instead, Shell recruited Attorney General
George Deukmejian
to enter the race. Deukmejian defeated Curb and then narrowly beat the African American
Democrat Tom Bradley
, the mayor of Los Angeles. In that same election, Shell nemesis Jerry Brown lost a bid for the U.S. Senate to Republican Pete Wilson
of San Diego. According to Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, Shell adhered to the golden rule of politics that "what goes around comes around."
, Joseph Shell, Jr., of Dana Point
, David Morton Shell and wife Merrilee of Elk Grove
; Harold Shell and wife Patricia Shell of San Ramon
, Diane Shell Morton and husband Paul Morton of Alamo
, and Lynn Shell of Porterville
. Lynn was an adopted son and the blood nephew of Barbara Shell. He then married the former Mary Katherine Jaynes
, then Mary Hosking, and relocated to her home city of Bakersfield
in Kern County
. Mary had three children by her second marriage to Richard Hosking (died 1981), he having been a Bakersfield City Council member from 1965-1969. The Hosking children include Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951), Timothy William Hosking (1952–1979), and Meredith Katherine Hosking (1959–1981).
Mary Shell had managed Joe Shell's gubernatorial campaign in Kern County and became the first woman mayor of Bakersfield, having served from 1980-1984. Thereafter, she was a member of the nonpartisan Kern County Board of Supervisors from 1985–1996, having first been elected in a contest against Richard Ybarra, a son-in-law of the Hispanic
organized labor activist Cesar Chavez
. Joe Shell walked precinct
s tirelessly on his wife's behalf, but he never again placed his name on a ballot
. In the same election in which Mary won the supervisor's seat, son, David M. Shell, lost a publicized race for State Assembly to liberal activist Tom Hayden
, former husband of Jane Fonda
.
Among his varied interests, Shell was a sailing
enthusiast. He once placed third in the TransPacific sailing race in his boat called the Khamsin. He also collected classic cars. His obituary says that he "liked all dogs." Joe Shell's health began to deteriorate late in 2007 when he broke a hip in a fall. He rallied with use of a walker, but he broke two ribs in another fall early in 2008. He also developed dementia
.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
extended condolences to the Shell family. In a proclamation, he called Shell “a dedicated, loyal public servant, who contributed years of service to his district and was thoroughly committed to bettering the lives of Californians.” Shell was interred on April 11, 2008 at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Bakersfield. A memorial followed at the First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield. He was a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bakersfield.
Dan Walters summed up Shell's political legacy in the Sacramento Bee on April 8, in an article entitled "For Joe Shell, character trumped ideology in California politics":
"[George] Deukmejian persuaded Shell to take a seat on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in 1989, but Shell resigned two years later, saying he was embarrassed to be paid for doing almost nothing. It was vintage Joe Shell, a crusty, old-school politician to whom character was more important than ideology. Shell died Monday at his home in Bakersfield – the same day that old enemy Jerry Brown was celebrating his 70th birthday and contemplating another run for the governorship [which Brown achieved in 2010]. It's too bad Shell won't be around to see what happens."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
producer and lobbyist who represented District 58 (West Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- the Wilshire
Wilshire, Los Angeles, California
Wilshire is an area in Los Angeles, California, north of I-10, east of Beverly Hills and the Westside, west of Downtown LA and south of Hollywood, and contains, or abuts the districts of Mid-City West and Mid-Wilshire....
area) in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from 1953-1963. During 1961-62 he was the Assembly Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Minority Leader. The conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
Shell is best remembered for having unsuccessfully opposed the more moderate candidate, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, in the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
held on June 5, 1962. Shell, however, contended that Nixon actually opposed him, for Shell had been committed to the governor's race for a year before Nixon's own entry. Shell is also remembered for his work in the early 1960s in locating additional water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
sources to sustain the growth of California in the future.
Early years
Shell was born in tiny La ConnerLa Conner, Washington
La Conner is a town in Skagit County, Washington, United States with a population of 891 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the month of April, the town annually hosts the majority of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival...
in Skagit County
Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in northwestern Washington, to Joseph Lieb Shell and the former Nell Schunemann. The senior Shell was an Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
agent for the United States Department of Interior in Washington State. When Joe was two years old, his family moved to San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, where his father was a municipal and then superior court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, and his mother was a homemaker. He also had a sister, Cheryl. Shell graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in San Diego, where he was senior class president and a key football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player. One of his Hoover classmates was baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
superstar Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
. Shell was recruited by the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, but instead he chose to attend the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles. In 1940, he procured his bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in business administration.
Football champion
A halfbackHalfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, Shell was the captain of the 1939 championship USC football team, which played twice in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, having defeated the previously powerhouses Duke University
Duke Blue Devils football
The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...
in 1939 and the University of Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
in 1940. Among his teammates was quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and Most Valuable Player Ambrose Schindler
Amby Schindler
Ambrose "Amblin' Amby" Schindler is a former American collegiate football player, coach and Professional Football on-field official. He played college football for the University of Southern California.-Career:Schindler prepped at San Diego High School...
, with whom Shell maintained a lifelong friendship. The "Thundering Herd", as the team was known, was coached by the legendary Howard Jones
Howard Jones (football coach)
Howard Harding Jones was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Syracuse University , Yale University , Ohio State University , the University of Iowa , Duke University , and the University of Southern California , compiling a career record of...
. It was not until the 2000s that USC finally acknowledged the national championship which had been won by the team, because newspaper rankings of the period – which over the years had come to be a more widely recognized standard – had been divided between two other teams.
Military pilot
At the age of fourteen, Shell had begun flying lessons because a pilotAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who owed the senior Shell money offered to pay in-kind. He secured his pilot's license at the age of sixteen. When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began, Shell had flown some 2,000 hours, was studying law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at USC, and was already engaged in the oil business. At the start of the war, he was a civilian instructor for the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, the forerunner of the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. When the Air Corps insisted that he remain an instructor, rather than enlist, Shell instead became a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
pilot in 1943. After the war, he was a member of the reserves. He continued to fly after the war a number of planes which he owned: a Grumman Wildcat, a Corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
, a P-51, a Beech Staggerwing, and a Beechcraft Model 18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
, or "Twin Beech".
Legislator
Shell first won his seat in the California State Assembly in a special election held on November 3, 1953, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Republican Laughlin E. Waters. Shell considered the State ScholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
Act to have been his crowning legislative achievement. The law helped thousands of young people secure an education at both private and public universities.
In his last legislative term, Shell was chosen by his fellow Republicans as minority leader. The 58th District turned Democratic after Shell vacated the seat. No Republican has represented the district since 1992. In the 2006 general election, the Republican candidate drew less than 40 percent of the vote.
Gubernatorial primary race
When Shell declared his candidacy for governor, he did not expect Nixon to run, because the former Vice PresidentVice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
had vacillated for several months about a potential candidacy and had a national perspective, rather than extensive interest in state government. Shell remained in the race to carry the banner of the more conservative Republicans, with Nixon hence cast as the "moderate" candidate. Nixon defined himself in his own words as "a conservative —a progressive conservative." The California primary race was covered nationally because Nixon was a national figure who was expected to run again for President in the future, and California was then on the verge of surpassing New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as the nation's most populous state. Shell was quoted in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine that he had "gotten sick and tired of calling people liberals when they're basically socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
s."
Among Shell's financial backers was A. C. "Cy" Ruble, former chairman of Union Oil Company of California. In Bakersfield, Mary K. Shell, then Mary Hosking (born 1927) of the Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
Republican Women's Association, worked for the nomination of her future husband. In the same election, two other conservatives, including Howard Jarvis
Howard Jarvis
Howard Arnold Jarvis was an American businessman, lobbyist, and politician. He was an anti-tax activist responsible for passage of California's Proposition 13 in 1978.-Early life and education:...
, the future father of California Proposition 13
California Proposition 13
There are two different ballot proposition in California called Proposition 13:* California Proposition 13 , about property taxation.* California Proposition 13 , about state officer salary increases....
(1978), challenged liberal U.S. Senator Thomas H. Kuchel in the primary. Kuchel easily prevailed to gain renomination. He had initially succeeded Nixon in the Senate in 1953. The 1962 elections were the first in California in which cross-filing
Cross-filing
In American politics, cross-filing occurs when a candidate runs in the primary election of not only his own party, but also that of one or more other parties, generally in the hope of reducing or eliminating his competition at the general election...
across party lines had been abandoned.
During the gubernatorial campaign, Shell's plane was sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
d: somehow, barium
Barium
Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in Group 2, a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature in its pure form due to its reactivity with air. Its oxide is historically known as baryta but it reacts with...
was placed in the second fuel tank. Had the pilot not discovered the problem, the plane would have crashed. Nixon's membership in the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, a foreign policy interest group
Foreign policy interest group
A foreign policy interest group, according to Thomas Ambrosio, is a domestic advocacy group which seeks to directly or indirectly influence their government's foreign policy.-Historic development:...
distrusted by many conservatives, became an issue in the race. Nixon arranged with the council that his name not appear on public releases as a member. The CFR (Page 42 of the 1952 Report) cautions that "Members of the Council are sometimes obliged, by their acceptance of government posts in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and elsewhere, to curtail or suspend for a time their participation in Council activities."
Nixon secured an easy primary victory: 1,285,151 votes (65.4 percent) to Shell's 656,542 (33.4 percent), but he did not immediately consult Shell to seek rapprochement with the conservative wing of the party. Thereafter, he declared that "those who have supported Joe Shell will see that their differences with me are infinitesimal compared with their differences with Brown." Shell first demanded that Nixon agree to trim state spending by at least $200 million (then 7 percent of the state budget) and to "espouse conservatism" as the price of his endorsement. He asked to be able to name a third of the delegates to the next national convention and to name the party's vice-chairman. When a considerable number of Shell's Assembly colleagues objected to the demands that he imposed on the basis of having polled only a third of the primary vote, Shell relented and agreed to endorse Nixon and the entire Republican ticket, including Senator Kuchel.
Two leading liberal Republicans refused to support Nixon: Kuchel and former Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
Harold J. Powers
Harold J. Powers
Harold J. Powers was a the 36th Lieutenant Governor of California, having served from 1953-1959 under fellow liberal Republican Governor Goodwin J. Knight....
, who had served under former Governor Goodwin J. Knight, who, had his health permitted, would have also run again for governor that year. Nixon also declined to endorse Kuchel for reelection. Powers was particularly critical of what he called Nixon's "cheap attempt to win votes" during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, which occurred near the end of the campaign. It was unclear what Powers meant, because Nixon had hailed Kennedy's handling of the crisis. Nixon's interest in the Cuban crisis during a gubernatorial race revealed to home-state voters that his concern lay with foreign affairs, rather than California domestic matters, a situation which worked to Brown's advantage.
The Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
-based John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
became an issue in California politics in 1962 as well, as three JBS members, including Representative John H. Rousselot
John H. Rousselot
John Harbin Rousselot was a U.S. Representative from southern California. Born in 1927 in Los Angeles, California, Rousselot attended the public schools of San Marino and South...
, fought unsuccessfully for seats in the U.S. House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Nixon was critical of the society's founder, Robert Welch
Robert Welch
Robert Welch may refer to:*Robert Stanley Welch , politician in Ontario, Canada*Robert W. Welch, Jr. , American anti-communist and co-founder of the John Birch Society*Robert Welch , British designer and silversmith...
, an erstwhile supporter of the late U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, who had declared U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Taft's 1952 nomination opponent under whom Nixon had served as vice president, to have been a "dedicated, conscious agent of the communist conspiracy
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
". However, the statement has never been proven. State Republicans in their convention approved a watered-down resolution condemning the society leadership but not its rank-and-file. Shell was not affiliated with the JBS but opposed any attempts to remove society members from party activities. Nixon supporters claimed that Shell partisans sat out the gubernatorial contest and enabled Brown to win a second term. Conservatives, however, disputed that assertion. Henry Salvatori
Henry Salvatori
Henry Salvatori was an American geophysicist, businessman, philanthropist, and political activist. Salvatori founded Western Geophysical in 1933, and after selling the company in 1960, pursued a second career as a philanthropist and conservative political activist...
, a southern California conservative operative, had convinced Shell to endorse Nixon. Conservatives claimed that they labored unenthusiastically for Nixon, but it was liberal Republicans, such as Kuchel and Powers, whose refusal to endorse him in the general election that proved decisive. Moreover, Nixon did not draw sufficient Democratic support in a state in which the GOP was in the minority by registration.
During the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964, Shell became Goldwater's financial chairman.
Though Nixon had attacked the JBS, he brought up the question of communist infiltration into government, including the California state government under Brown. He vowed to remove any employees found to be communist agents.
Ultimately, Nixon lost the election to Brown and held his "You-won't-have-Nixon-to-kick-around-any-more" press conference. Six years later, Nixon defeated Hubert H. Humphrey and George C. Wallace, Jr., for the presidency.
Backing Goldwater
On April 22, 1963, Shell and Assembly member Bruce V. Reagan (no relation to Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
) founded the United Republicans of California to promote the potential presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, who was not yet an announced contender. Bruce Reagan had been the unsuccessful candidate for comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
in 1962 against the Democratic incumbent Alan Cranston
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
. Unlike Shell, Bruce Reagan had been among those conservatives who had refused to endorse Nixon. The conservative dissidents opposed the "big-money" Rockefeller Republicans and launched a middle-class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
grass-roots campaign. In San Marino
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
, for instance, fifteen groups went door-to-door in a registration drive that changed the composition of the California GOP. They distributed Goldwater literature and two conservative books, None Dare Call It Conspiracy by John Stormer and A Choice Not An Echo by Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
, then of Alton, Illinois
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
. Ultimately, the activists gave away some two million copies of the books.
In 1964, Shell was a Goldwater delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Just a month earlier, Goldwater had narrowly won the California presidential primary on June 8 over Governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
of New York. In working for Goldwater, Shell personally financed a particular speech which he thought would be helpful. Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
contacted Shell and asked if her husband, actor Ronald Reagan, could deliver the speech to the Republican convention. Shell hesitated, but agreed when Mrs. Reagan persisted. This was not "The Speech", officially "A Time for Choosing
A Time for Choosing
A Time for Choosing, also known as The Speech, was a speech presented during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future president Ronald Reagan on behalf of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater....
", delivered on national television on October 27, 1964, in which Reagan paraphrased Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in acknowledging the nation's "rendezvous with destiny". Shell was said to have regretted for the rest of his life having allowed Reagan to deliver the speech.
Reservations about Reagan
Shell planned to run again for governor in 1966. Max RaffertyMax Rafferty
Maxwell Lewis Rafferty was an author, educator, and politician.-Early life:...
, a native of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, also considered running that year but instead successfully sought his second and final term as superintendent of public instruction, a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
position. In his 1998 work Triumph of the Right: The Rise of the California Conservative Movement, Kurt Schuparra called Shell "embittered" because the former Assemblyman believed that he should have the support of the conservative base that he had served so long and faithfully. Vernon Cristina, a Shell loyalist from 1962, tried to talk his friend out of running and instead to support Ronald Reagan. "You don't have the ingredients to win," said Cristina. Goldwater asked Rus Walton, who had been Shell's 1962 campaign manager, to convince Shell to defer to Reagan, but Walton declined to deliver the message to his old friend.
Ultimately, Reagan sealed up conservative support. Shell hesistated to support Reagan: he questioned Reagan's late conversion to the party and some of the leftist associations that Reagan maintained during the 1950s, when he had nevertheless supported Eisenhower for President. Reagan went on to secure the nomination by defeating former San Francisco Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
George Christopher, a Greek American
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
who had been Nixon's lieutenant governor running mate in 1962. Shell claimed that Reagan had earlier promised to support him for governor, an assertion that Reagan denied. Reagan financial backer Holmes Tuttle
Holmes Tuttle
Holmes Tuttle was a successful California businessman and autodealer, and headed President Ronald Reagan's unofficial "Kitchen Cabinet".-Early life and career:...
pleaded with Shell to support Reagan and offered him a leading role in the campaign, but Shell demurred.
Shell said that his reservations about Reagan were vindicated as early as 1967, when the newly-inaugurated governor's appointment list reflected none of the conservatives recommended by Shell, but were instead mostly individuals who had backed Rockefeller over Goldwater in 1964. One of the appointees was Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger , was an American politician, vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation, and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after...
of San Francisco, whose career would culminate as the United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
under President Reagan. Shell opposed Nixon's selection of Weinberger as state party chairman in 1962. In his 2001 memoir In the Arena, Weinberger said that Nixon had been "substantially weakened" because of Shell's challenge: He was a former football player at USC, which in Southern California was practically a passport to political advancement. . . . Nixon won the primary, but he did so without generating much GOP enthusiasm." Over the years, most conservatives considered Weinberger, originally a liberal Republican, to have become one of their own. Another such appointment was Houston I. Flournoy
Houston I. Flournoy
Houston Irving Flournoy was an American politician who served as a California legislator and State Controller...
, who in 1974 would carry the GOP banner in an unsuccessful bid to succeed Reagan as governor, having been defeated by Brown's son, Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
Shell attended the 1968 convention
1968 Republican National Convention
The 1968 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Dade County, Florida, from August 5 to August 8, 1968....
in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
which nominated his old rival Nixon on the first ballot with relatively little opposition coming from Governors Rockefeller and Reagan. Shell said that later events proved Nixon unfit for the presidency: "I felt then that Nixon was bad for the party, and Watergate and the subsequent stain he left proved me right."
Oilman and lobbyist
Thereafter, Shell retired from politics to concentrate on his business and his remarriage. Right after the war, Shell had entered the petroleumPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
field as an independent oil producer. He drilled wells in the Bakersfield area even though he lived at the time in Los Angeles. Later he was an industry lobbyist and argued passionately for expanded drilling and refinery capacity to keep down the cost of fuel to consumers and to strengthen the American economy during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. As a lobbyist, he commuted between Bakersfield and the capital in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
.
As an energy lobbyist in 1975, Shell fought the attempt of Governor Jerry Brown to repeal
Repeal
A repeal is the amendment, removal or reversal of a law. This is generally done when a law is no longer effective, or it is shown that a law is having far more negative consequences than were originally envisioned....
the "depletion allowance," a tax break for the state's oil industry. Brown aimed his fire at "big oil" in an era of popular environmental activism on the West Coast. The decisive vote against the allowance was cast in the California Senate by the usually pro-business Republican Senator Robert S. Stevens. Shell claimed that Stevens had promised him that he would support keeping the allowance: "He had shaken my hand and told me he was with me." recalled Shell, who considered a handshake a bond of honor. Brown later rewarded Stevens with a judicial appointment, but Stevens was driven from the bench for making salacious telephone calls.
In 1982, Shell opposed the gubernatorial candidacy of Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb
Mike Curb
Michael Curb is an American musician, record company executive, NASCAR and IRL race car owner. A Republican, he served as the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California from 1979-1983 under Democratic Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr...
, a recording company executive, though Curb had the backing of many conservatives in southern California. Shell recalled that some of those backing Curb had also been Nixon loyalists two decades earlier. Instead, Shell recruited Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
George Deukmejian
George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...
to enter the race. Deukmejian defeated Curb and then narrowly beat the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Democrat Tom Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
, the mayor of Los Angeles. In that same election, Shell nemesis Jerry Brown lost a bid for the U.S. Senate to Republican Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
of San Diego. According to Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, Shell adhered to the golden rule of politics that "what goes around comes around."
Family life
In 1940, Shell married the former Barbara Morton. The couple divorced in 1968, and she died in 1995. They had five children: Barbara S. Stone and husband Harry Stone of WhittierWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, Joseph Shell, Jr., of Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...
, David Morton Shell and wife Merrilee of Elk Grove
Elk Grove, California
Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 153,015...
; Harold Shell and wife Patricia Shell of San Ramon
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
, Diane Shell Morton and husband Paul Morton of Alamo
Alamo, California
Alamo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, and Lynn Shell of Porterville
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...
. Lynn was an adopted son and the blood nephew of Barbara Shell. He then married the former Mary Katherine Jaynes
Mary K. Shell
Mary Katherine Jaynes Shell, previously Mary Hosking, usually known as Mary K. Shell , is the first woman to have served as mayor of Bakersfield, California and only the second woman to have served on the Kern County Board of Supervisors...
, then Mary Hosking, and relocated to her home city of Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
in Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
. Mary had three children by her second marriage to Richard Hosking (died 1981), he having been a Bakersfield City Council member from 1965-1969. The Hosking children include Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951), Timothy William Hosking (1952–1979), and Meredith Katherine Hosking (1959–1981).
Mary Shell had managed Joe Shell's gubernatorial campaign in Kern County and became the first woman mayor of Bakersfield, having served from 1980-1984. Thereafter, she was a member of the nonpartisan Kern County Board of Supervisors from 1985–1996, having first been elected in a contest against Richard Ybarra, a son-in-law of the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
organized labor activist Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
. Joe Shell walked precinct
Precinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
s tirelessly on his wife's behalf, but he never again placed his name on a ballot
Ballot
A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...
. In the same election in which Mary won the supervisor's seat, son, David M. Shell, lost a publicized race for State Assembly to liberal activist Tom Hayden
Tom Hayden
Thomas Emmet "Tom" Hayden is an American social and political activist and politician, known for his involvement in the animal rights, and the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. He is the former husband of actress Jane Fonda and the father of actor Troy Garity.-Life and...
, former husband of Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
.
Shell in perspective
Joe Shell had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ellie, Tommy, Mark, Justin, Matt, Emily, Jennifer, Dana, Ryan, Stacey, Brian, enjoyed visiting him in Bakersfield whenever they could.Among his varied interests, Shell was a sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
enthusiast. He once placed third in the TransPacific sailing race in his boat called the Khamsin. He also collected classic cars. His obituary says that he "liked all dogs." Joe Shell's health began to deteriorate late in 2007 when he broke a hip in a fall. He rallied with use of a walker, but he broke two ribs in another fall early in 2008. He also developed dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
extended condolences to the Shell family. In a proclamation, he called Shell “a dedicated, loyal public servant, who contributed years of service to his district and was thoroughly committed to bettering the lives of Californians.” Shell was interred on April 11, 2008 at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Bakersfield. A memorial followed at the First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield. He was a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bakersfield.
Dan Walters summed up Shell's political legacy in the Sacramento Bee on April 8, in an article entitled "For Joe Shell, character trumped ideology in California politics":
"[George] Deukmejian persuaded Shell to take a seat on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in 1989, but Shell resigned two years later, saying he was embarrassed to be paid for doing almost nothing. It was vintage Joe Shell, a crusty, old-school politician to whom character was more important than ideology. Shell died Monday at his home in Bakersfield – the same day that old enemy Jerry Brown was celebrating his 70th birthday and contemplating another run for the governorship [which Brown achieved in 2010]. It's too bad Shell won't be around to see what happens."