Roy Hampton
Encyclopedia
Roy Hampton was an attorney, ex-Marine and former journalist who was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1939 to 1943. Sheriff's deputies said he took his own life in a Malibu motel in 1953.
and of its Law School
and had worked as a journalist as well as an attorney. He was a Marine during World War II and was a member of the American Legion. Other memberships included the Echo Park and Elysian Park improvement associations. He lived in the 2400 block of Echo Park Avenue and then at 2354 Kenilworth Avenue.
Hampton's body was found in a motel at 19355 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on April 16, 1953. "A revolver lay at his side and Sheriff's deputies said he had taken his own life." A note blamed ill health for the act. Masonic funeral services were conducted. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a son, Dirk; and his mother, Sadie Hampton.
Hampton first ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 13 seat in 1931, when he finished eighth in a field of 11 candidates. He was elected in the same district in 1939 and again in 1941, but he lost to Ned R. Healy
in 1943. In those years, the 13th District was essentially bounded on the east by Sheffield Street, the south by Valley Boulevard
, the west by Vermont Avenue
and the north by an irregular line from Pullman Street to Fountain Avenue.
, the Los Angeles Times
said that the councilman "gained some note as a stormy petrel, speaking out against "the Los Angeles Housing Authority, street railway operations, the Police and Civil Service Commissions and Mayor Bowron
. He was among the early proponents of broadcasting City Council sessions."
remove Don R. Healy from a city charter revision committee on the grounds that Healy had been "an active member of the Communist party" since 1936. Healy told a three-member committee chaired by Hampton that he had indeed registered as a Communist in 1936 "but said he did so [only] to vote for a Communist candidate." The chief opponent to Hampton's demand was Councilman Arthur E. Briggs
who said it was a "dirty and contemptible procedure, all too common in this community." Hampton retorted that Briggs, who had moved to California from Kansas in 1923, was a "self-confessed ward-heeler of the Pendergast political machine
in Kansas City," a statement that Briggs called "absolutely false."
Three years later, in 1943, Hampton made a charge in 30,000 campaign fliers circulated "on the eve of the municipal primary" that Ned R. Healy
, his opponent in the 13th District race, had been at one time a registered member of the Communist Party. Ned Healy went to the city attorney's office and demanded issuance of a complaint against Hampton on a charge of criminal libel
, and Hampton soon made an "unequivocal retraction" of his charge. Healy went on to win the runoff election. The record does not show if Don and Ned R. Healy were related or if Hampton had confused the two.
for an investigation because, he said, members of the mayor's and district attorney's offices were collaborating in a scheme of wire-tapping espionage in Los Angeles.
Biography
Hampton, who moved to Los Angeles about 1904, was a graduate of the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity 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...
and of its Law School
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...
and had worked as a journalist as well as an attorney. He was a Marine during World War II and was a member of the American Legion. Other memberships included the Echo Park and Elysian Park improvement associations. He lived in the 2400 block of Echo Park Avenue and then at 2354 Kenilworth Avenue.
Hampton's body was found in a motel at 19355 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on April 16, 1953. "A revolver lay at his side and Sheriff's deputies said he had taken his own life." A note blamed ill health for the act. Masonic funeral services were conducted. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a son, Dirk; and his mother, Sadie Hampton.
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1931–43Hampton first ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 13 seat in 1931, when he finished eighth in a field of 11 candidates. He was elected in the same district in 1939 and again in 1941, but he lost to Ned R. Healy
Ned R. Healy
Not to be confused with Don R. Healy, Los Angeles labor leader of the 1940s and 1950s.Ned Romeyn Healy , who went by Ned R. Healy, was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council in 1943 and 1944 and a member of Congress from 1945 to 1947.-Biography:Healy was born August 9, 1905, in...
in 1943. In those years, the 13th District was essentially bounded on the east by Sheffield Street, the south by Valley Boulevard
Valley Boulevard
Valley Boulevard is a street in Southern California, running east from Los Angeles to Pomona, where it becomes Holt Boulevard, and a continuation from Fontana to Colton. It generally parallels Interstate 10 and State Route 60, and is the original alignment of U.S. Route 60...
, the west by Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California with a length of about . Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of Downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a...
and the north by an irregular line from Pullman Street to Fountain Avenue.
Controversies
In Hampton's obituaryObituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said that the councilman "gained some note as a stormy petrel, speaking out against "the Los Angeles Housing Authority, street railway operations, the Police and Civil Service Commissions and Mayor Bowron
Fletcher Bowron
Fletcher Bowron was the 35th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from September 26, 1938 until June 30, 1953. Until Thomas Bradley passed his length of service during the 1980s, Bowron held the distinction of having the longest tenure in that position in city history.Bowron was born in Poway,...
. He was among the early proponents of broadcasting City Council sessions."
Healy and Healy
In 1940 Hampton was the leader of an unsuccessful fight to have Mayor Fletcher BowronFletcher Bowron
Fletcher Bowron was the 35th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from September 26, 1938 until June 30, 1953. Until Thomas Bradley passed his length of service during the 1980s, Bowron held the distinction of having the longest tenure in that position in city history.Bowron was born in Poway,...
remove Don R. Healy from a city charter revision committee on the grounds that Healy had been "an active member of the Communist party" since 1936. Healy told a three-member committee chaired by Hampton that he had indeed registered as a Communist in 1936 "but said he did so [only] to vote for a Communist candidate." The chief opponent to Hampton's demand was Councilman Arthur E. Briggs
Arthur E. Briggs
Dr. Arthur Elbert Briggs was a teacher and law school dean who was a Los Angeles, California, City Council member from 1939 to 1941 and the leader of the Ethical Society of Los Angeles in 1953.-Biography:...
who said it was a "dirty and contemptible procedure, all too common in this community." Hampton retorted that Briggs, who had moved to California from Kansas in 1923, was a "self-confessed ward-heeler of the Pendergast political machine
Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
in Kansas City," a statement that Briggs called "absolutely false."
Three years later, in 1943, Hampton made a charge in 30,000 campaign fliers circulated "on the eve of the municipal primary" that Ned R. Healy
Ned R. Healy
Not to be confused with Don R. Healy, Los Angeles labor leader of the 1940s and 1950s.Ned Romeyn Healy , who went by Ned R. Healy, was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council in 1943 and 1944 and a member of Congress from 1945 to 1947.-Biography:Healy was born August 9, 1905, in...
, his opponent in the 13th District race, had been at one time a registered member of the Communist Party. Ned Healy went to the city attorney's office and demanded issuance of a complaint against Hampton on a charge of criminal libel
Criminal libel
Criminal libel is a legal term, of English origin, which may be used with one of two distinct meanings, in those common law jurisdictions where it is still used....
, and Hampton soon made an "unequivocal retraction" of his charge. Healy went on to win the runoff election. The record does not show if Don and Ned R. Healy were related or if Hampton had confused the two.
Subversion
Hampton was the sponsor of Charter Amendment No. 12, approved by the voters in 1941, that forbade members of "subversive organizations" from working for the city. The authority was later used to discharge several employees of the city's Department of Water and Power.Wire-tapping
In 1941, Hampton charged that Wallace N. Jamie, an investigator for Mayor Bowron, had established a wire-tapping "listening post" in the City Hall. Bowron called Hampton a "liar." and Hampton thereupon asked Attorney-General Earl WarrenEarl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
for an investigation because, he said, members of the mayor's and district attorney's offices were collaborating in a scheme of wire-tapping espionage in Los Angeles.