Mickey Conroy, Maj. USMC Ret. (November 1, 1927 – September 20, 2005) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician who served as a 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...

man from 1991 to 1996. Conroy once gained notoriety in the mid-1990s for sponsoring a bill that permitted the paddling of graffiti

Graffiti

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

 artists.

Conroy was born in Footedale, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. After serving in 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...

 with the Merchant Marines

United States Merchant Marine

The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...

 and later with the 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...

, Conroy joined the Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 and eventually retired with the rank of Major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

.

In 1991, the conservative Republican was elected to represent Orange County

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

's 71st Assembly District in Sacramento. Conroy was a tireless defender of traditional American values and fiscal responsibility. He served as the Chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. His efforts on behalf of California's veterans included leading the campaign for a Veteran's National Cemetery

Riverside National Cemetery

Riverside National Cemetery is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration...

 in Riverside

Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...

, and Orange County Veterans Charities.

Mickey Conroy died in 2005, his wife, Ann died in 2009. They are survived by their children; Michael and Kathy; son-in-law Larry; and grandchildren Justin, Brandon, and Jenna.