William Bradshaw Greene Jr. (November 15, 1930 – December 2, 2002) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic member of the California State Assembly and the California State Senate, representing South Central Los Angeles, Watts, Bell, Compton, Cudahy, Huntington Park and South Gate for twenty-five years.

Bill Greene
Member of the California Senate
In office
December 3, 1984 – November 30, 1992
Preceded byRobert G. Beverly
Succeeded byRobert G. Beverly
Constituency27th district
In office
April 7, 1975 – November 30, 1984
Preceded byMervyn Dymally
Succeeded byRobert G. Beverly
Constituency29th district
Member of the California State Assembly
In office
December 2, 1974 – April 7, 1975
Preceded byFrank D. Lanterman
Succeeded byTeresa Patterson Hughes
Constituency47th district
In office
January 2, 1967 – November 30, 1974
Preceded byMervyn Dymally
Succeeded byPaul Bannai
Constituency53rd district
Personal details
Born
William Bradshaw Greene Jr.

(1930-11-15)November 15, 1930
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedDecember 2, 2002(2002-12-02) (aged 72)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseYvonne LaFargue
Children2 daughters
EducationUniversity of Michigan
OccupationPolitician
Military service
Branch/service United States Air Force

Early life

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Greene was born on November 30, 1930, in Kansas City, Missouri.[1]

Greene attended the University of Michigan.[1] During the Civil Rights Movement, he demonstrated alongside Julian Bond, Stokley Carmichael and James Farmer, and he was jailed in Mississippi and Louisiana for his activism.[1]

Career

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Greene started his career as an assistant to Jesse M. Unruh.[1] He was the first African American to work as an assistant in the California State Assembly.[1] He was also a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.[1]

Greene served as a Democratic member of the California State Assembly from 1967 to 1975.[1] He served as a member of the California State Senate from 1975 to 1992.[1] He succeeded Mervyn M. Dymally, another African-American politician, in both houses.[1] In the senate, he represented "South-Central Los Angeles, Watts, Bell, Compton, Cudahy, Huntington Park and South Gate".[2] He served as the chairman of the Senate Industrial Relations Committee.[2] However, in 1989-1991, he "missed more than 50% of Senate votes" due to poor health, which led to his retirement.[2]

The Bill Greene Sports Complex in Cudahy was named in his honor in 1991.[3]

Personal life

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Greene married Yvonne LaFargue.[1] They had two daughters, Alisa Rochelle and Jan Andrea.

Death

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Greene died on December 2, 2002, at the Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center in Sacramento, California.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ingram, Carl (December 3, 2002). "Bill Greene, 72; Served in the State Legislature for 25 Years". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Gladstone, Mark (September 10, 1991). "State Sen. Greene, Citing Health Problems, Will Retire : Legislature: He has missed more than 50% of votes in recent sessions. He has been treated for alcoholism, a heart attack and pneumonia". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Cudahy : Ground Will Be Broken for Bill Greene Sports Complex". The Los Angeles Times. March 21, 1991. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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