Bill Greene

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.

This article is about an American politician. For the faithless elector in the 2016 presidential eleciton, see Bill Greene (faithless elector).
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

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

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

Greene married Yvonne LaFargue.[1] They had two daughters, Alisa Rochelle and Jan Andrea.[1] He was an alcoholic,[4] and he received treatment at the Betty Ford Center in 1989.[5][6] He had a heart attack in March 1990.[5]

Death

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

References
  1. 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. 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.
  4. Ingram, Carl; Gladstone, Mark (August 2, 1989). "Sen. Greene Admits He's an Alcoholic, Is Taking Steps to Conquer Disease". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  5. "Greene Doing Well After Heart Attack". The Los Angeles Times. March 14, 1990. Retrieved March 5, 2016. Greene, 57, missed the end of the 1989 session while he completed an alcohol treatment program at the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs.
  6. "Sen. Greene in Alcohol Clinic Again". The Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1989. Retrieved March 5, 2016. For the second time this summer, state Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles) has entered an alcohol rehabilitation center, a spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem David Roberti (D-Los Angeles) confirmed Friday.
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