The 1906 Los Angeles mayoral election was held on December 4, 1906. Arthur Cyprian Harper was elected. It was the last partisan mayoral election held in the city.
Campaign Public Ownership Party
On February 21, 1906, representatives of Los Angeles organized labor came together to form the Public Ownership Party, on the basis that anti-labor forces controlled city hall and private ownership of utilities was the source of political corruption. Stanley B. Wilson, president of the Los Angeles Typographical Union, took an early leadership role in the party, serving as chairman at the founding convention. In September the party announced its platform and ticket, with Wilson chosen unanimously as the candidate for mayor.
Wilson campaigned on a platform that included banishing corporate lobbyists from city hall, restricting the sale of liquor, and an eight-hour workday for city employees. During the race, his opponents accused him of being a puppet of the San Francisco political boss Abe Ruef, charging that refugees of the 1906 earthquake would be sent south en masse to steal the election. Wilson, for his part, denounced Ruef, comparing him to the Democratic and Republican bosses that ran Los Angeles.
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin LeeGates (I) WalterLindley (R) ArthurHarper (D) StanleyWilson (PO) Other /UndecidedLos Angeles ExpressLos Angeles Express November 1906 11,067 (CV) ± 4.3% 38% 28% 19% 14% 2%
Results
Notes
References
Further reading Lindley, Walter. "The Lindley Scrapbook Collection." Claremont Colleges Digital Library (1861–1921). online
External links Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles