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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| <- |
2000-01-01 |
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| Name | Ronald V. "Ron" Dellums |
| Address |
Oakland, California , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
November 24, 1935
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| Died | July 29, 2018
(82 years)
|
| Contributor | 411 Name Removed |
| Last Modifed | E Pluribus Unum
Oct 18, 2022 08:01pm |
| Tags |
African - Democratic Socialists Of America - Protestant -
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| Info | Ronald Vernie Dellums, U.S. Democratic Party politician, was a U.S. Representative from California from 1971 until 1999. He was a proponent of reducing military spending, and an advocate of peace and social justice during his time in Congress. His fight against apartheid in South Africa was the subject of a Disney Channel made-for-TV movie, "The Color of Friendship," released in 2000. Dellums was the first African American elected to congress for northern California.
Dellums was born in Oakland, California. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1954 to 1956, where he was not recommended to officer training school, due to, Dellums claims, his race.
Dellums later received his A.A. degree from the Oakland City College in 1958, his B.A. from the San Francisco State University in 1960, and his M.S.W. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1962. He became a psychiatric social worker and political activist in the African American community beginning in the 1960s. He also taught at the San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley.
He was elected to the Berkeley City council, serving from 1967 to 1970, and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1970 after being recruited by anti-Vietnam War activists to run against the incumbent, Jeffery Cohelan, a white liberal close to organized labor who had not opposed the Vietnam War early enough to please local activists. Dellums defeated Cohelan in the Democratic Primary and won the general election, serving without interruption for many years. Dellums served as chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia and the House Armed Services Committee. In his last House election race, in 1996, Dellums bested his opponent, Republican Deborah Wright, by a 77%-18% margin.
Dellums was one of the earliest advocates of federal sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa, first introducing a bill for sanctions in 1971 and fighting for it for years until its eventual passage in 1986. As the first African-American member and eventual chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, he led successful fights against defense projects like the MX and Pershing missiles. Dellums, who was on the left fringe of his party, accomplished little other memorable work in his nearly thirty years in Congress. Dellums' rise to the Chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee was a result of the same seniority system that in earlier years had elevated conservative Southern Democratic Members of Congress to leading positions. He lost his Chairmanship after the Republican Party won control of the House as a result of the 1994 elections.
Dellums resigned from Congress on February 6, 1998, saying that he intended to focus on his personal life. Rather than finish his term, Dellums resigned early; his staff member Barbara Lee was elected to replace him. He has continued to be an activist in the peace movement and advocate for aid to Africa.
In October, 2005, Dellums, who had recently begun to spend more time in California after several years of living primarily in Washington, announced that he would run for mayor of Oakland. The current mayor, former California Governor Jerry Brown, is term-limited and currently running for the position of California Attorney General. Dellums' leading opponents include City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, whom Brown supports, and Councilmember Nancy Nadel. Several other candidates who had been seeking the mayoralty appeared likely to drop out in view of Dellums' suprise entry into the race.
Obituary: [Link]
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| INFORMATION LINKS |
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| ENDORSEMENTS |
| CA US President - D Primary - Feb 05, 2008 |
D |
Hillary Clinton |
| US President - D Primaries - Jun 03, 2008 |
D |
Hillary Clinton |
| CA State Assembly 16 - D Primary - Jun 06, 2006 |
D |
Sandré Swanson |
| Berkeley Mayor - Nov 02, 1982 |
N |
Eugene "Gus" Newport |
| Berkeley Mayor - Apr 17, 1979 |
N |
Eugene "Gus" Newport |
| Berkeley Mayor - Apr 15, 1975 |
D |
Ying Lee Kelley |
| US Vice President - Appointment - Dec 19, 1974 |
NPA |
Reject |
| US Vice President - Appointment - Dec 06, 1973 |
NPA |
Reject |
| US President - D Convention - Jul 13, 1972 |
D |
George S. McGovern |
| CA US President - D Primary - Jun 06, 1972 |
D |
Shirley A. Chisholm |
| US President - D Primaries - Jun 06, 1972 |
D |
Shirley A. Chisholm |
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