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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Daniel K. Whitehurst |
| Address |
Fresno, California , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
October 04, 1948
(75 years)
|
| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jan 20, 2016 12:53am |
| Tags |
|
| Info | Daniel K. Whitehurst was born in 1948 in Los Banos, California. In 1959, the
Whitehurst family moved to Fresno where he attended San Joaquin Memorial High School,
graduating in 1965. After high school, Whitehurst left Fresno to attend Saint Mary’s College in
Moraga, where he was editor of the school newspaper as well as student body president. While
at Saint Mary’s Whitehurst helped form the group Students for Progressive Action Now (SPAN),
which lobbied the university’s administration for changes in the curriculum, admitting women to
the university, and changes in admissions and recruitment policies. He graduated from Saint
Mary’s in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in government. Whitehurst continued at the Hastings
College of Law earning his law degree in 1972. After graduating from Hastings, Whitehurst was
granted a fellowship in public affairs with the Coro Foundation in 1972. Whitehurst completed
his education in 1973 by earning a Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Occidental
college in Los Angeles. Whitehurst returned to Fresno in 1973 and became an associate with the
Baker, Manock and Jensen law firm.
In 1975, Whitehurst ran for Fresno city council and was elected, defeating eleven other
candidates and becoming the youngest city councilman in the city’s history. After serving two
years on the city council, Whitehurst decided to run for the mayor’s office, challenging then
Mayor Ted C. Wills and narrowly defeating him by 114 votes, becoming the youngest mayor of
a major American city. In 1981, Whitehurst ran for re-election and won, gaining sixty-five
percent of the vote. During his time in office, Whitehurst strove to create a sense of community
in the city of Fresno, promoting neighborhood watch programs and block parties. Whitehurst
also worked to bring many county islands within the metropolitan area, in order to consolidate
civic services such as police, fire and water. Whitehurst was also active in state and nationwide
organizations such as the United States Conference of Mayors while in office. In 1981,
Whitehurst launched a campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1982 but
ultimately lost the nomination to Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Deciding not to seek a third term as
mayor, Whitehurst resigned in 1985 to take a teaching fellowship at the John F. Kennedy
Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
Since leaving office, Whitehurst has focused on his business career, serving as President
of the Fresno Economic Development Corporation from 1985 to 1987, President of Whitehurst
California, Inc., his family’s funeral home business, in 1987, as well as founding Farewell
Funeral Service in 1995. In 1999, he became a director of the California State Automobile
Association. Since 1985 he has been of counsel to the Dowling, Aaron and Keeler law firm.
Whitehurst has also lent his political expertise, sharing his perspective in forums and on
television news and radio programs. He provided commentary on TV channel KFSN from 1985
to 1993, and on radio station KJWL from 1998 to 2005. In 2000, Whitehurst took a break from
radio commentary to run again for mayor, though he lost the election to Alan Autry. From 2001
to 2003, Whitehurst served as the director of the Maddy Institute at California State University,
Fresno. He currently resides in Napa County.
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