1909 Los Angeles mayoral special election

none January 2025 September 2023 1909 Los Angeles mayoral special election presidential no 1906 Los Angeles mayoral election 1906 1909 Los Angeles mayoral election November 1909 1909 03 26 LAmayor-GeorgeAlexander.jpg George Alexander 14,043 53.23% Fred C. Wheeler 1909 Edit Crop 3x5.jpg Fred C. Wheeler 12,341 46.77% Mayor William D. Stephens George Alexander c0c0c0 c0c0c0 The 1909 Los Angeles mayoral special election took place on March 26, 1909, following the recall attempt of incumbent Arthur Cyprian Harper."Election Results to Be Known Early", Los Angeles Herald, March 26, 1909, image 5. George Alexander was elected over Fred C. Wheeler by a small plurality."Los Angeles Elects Reform Mayor", Tonopah (Nevada) Bonanza, March 27, 1909, image 1. It was the first election "ever held in any American city for the recall of a mayor.""Los Angeles In Quandary", Des Moines Evening Tribune, March 15, 1909, image 3. It was also the first election held after the charter amendment that instituted nonpartisan elections and made the office of Mayor nonpartisan.https://my.lwv.org/sites/default/files/leagues/los-angeles/structureofacity.pdf LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT League of Women Voters Background Facing a recall election, incumbent Democratic mayor Arthur Cyprian Harper was forced to resign due to dishonesty that marked his administration. Because of his resignation, Republican politician William Stephens, who had been picked as Harper's opponent, was named acting mayor of Los Angeles while campaigning was going on, which lasted less than two weeks.http://www.ulwaf.com/LA-1900s/09.03.html Mayor Harper Resigns from Office Under Threats Los Angeles Examiner March 12, 1909 2007-09-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20070610062444/http://www.ulwaf.com/LA-1900s/09.03.html 2007-06-10 Two candidates participated, Republican candidate George Alexander and Socialist politician Fred C. Wheeler. Wheeler had been denied ballot access because his candidacy had allegedly not followed regulations of the city before the ruling was overturned by a judicial appeal."Socialists' Choice for Mayor of the City", Los Angeles Herald, February 26, 1909, image 5."Socialist Candidate: Case Under Advisement", Los Angeles Times, March 2, 1909, image 16. Wheeler lost to George Alexander by a small plurality of 1,650 votes, with the Associated Press reporting that the vote for Wheeler was a "great surprise".http://www.newspapers.com/image/27475010/?terms=Fred+C.+Wheeler 27 Mar 1909, Page 1 - San Francisco Chronicle at Newspapers.com Newspapers.com en 2019-08-17"He has figured in politics before, making a fine run during the last mayoralty campaign in Los Angeles." "Socialists Talk to a Big Crowd", Bakersfield Californian, October 17, 1910, image 4. Alexander filled the unexpired term of Harper, which lasted until November 1909. Results Los Angeles mayoral recall election, March 26, 1909Los Angeles Mayor http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=568436 Our Campaigns George Alexander 14,043 53.23 Socialist Party of America Fred C. Wheeler 12,341 46.78 26,384 100.00 References and footnotes External links Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles Los Angeles Los Angeles Category:1900s in Los Angeles Los Angeles mayoral 1909 March Los Angeles Category:March 1909 in the United States