Jack R. Fenton
Encyclopedia
Jack R. Fenton represented California's 51st State Assembly district
and California's 59th State Assembly district
16 years in the California State Assembly
. He was part of the Democratic
leadership, majority leader
in 1972, and helped establish California
's occupational health and safety regime.
.
He earned a degree
in 1939 from what was then called Brockport State Normal School
, and later studied at University of California, Berkeley
.
He was drafted
into the United States Army
in 1941, and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations
during World War II
. After his discharge, he entered Loyola Law School
in 1945, and was graduated
in 1949.
Also in 1945, he married Betty Byer who subsequently bore him four children.
He established a law practice in Montebello, California
in 1949.
Mr. Fenton belonged to many organizations, including the Optimist Club, American Legion
and Rotary Club.
He received the George Moscone
Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in 1978, from an association of consumer lawyers in Los Angeles
.
He was appointed a member of the Judicial Council of California
in 1979.
Assemblyman for the 51st District sought reelection, he faced both Dionisio Morales and Jack Fenton. With the chicano
vote split, Fenton won the party's nomination in the primary election
. He carried the general election
with 69% of the vote. He continued to represent Montebello, reelected to seven more two year terms (from 1974, in the 59th Assembly District.)
In the legislature, Fenton championed consumers, veterans, and labor (including farm workers.)
After Jess Unruh declared his candidacy for Governor
in 1969, Fenton and Assemblyman George N. Zenovich
encouraged Unruh (at first unsuccessfully) to resign as party leader in the Assembly.
Following an industrial accident on June 24, 1971, when a methane gas
explosion fatal to seventeen workers occurred in the California Water Project
's Sylmar tunnel, Fenton led the investigation in the Assembly's Committee on Industrial Safety. His investigation, and civil litigation
, found negligence by the contractor (Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
) and state inspectors. He was a leader promoting statutory change, notably the June 1973 California Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Hospitals and staff threatened to cease organ transplantation activity in 1973 when its legal basis came into question. Criminal defense attorneys argued that harvesting a victim's organs while his heart was still beating caused death, not their clients. Dixon Arnett (R-Redwood City
) introduced emergency legislation to recognize death when brain activity ceased. He was three votes short of the required supermajority
when he enlisted Jack Fenton, who secured favorable action from two more members. After the California State Senate
passed the bill, Arnett flew to Chicago
to secure Governor
Ronald Reagan
's signature giving force to the law.
From 1977-1980 he was chairman of the Assembly's Judiciary Committee.
Earlier, he had been chairman of the Assembly's Finance and Insurance Committee.
Fenton lost his primary election in 1980 to Matthew G. Martínez
.
Art Torres was a protégé and Republican
Assemblyman Robert Hayden (of Santa Clara
's 22nd district
) was a friend.
California's 51st State Assembly district
California's 51st State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is represented by Democrat Steven Bradford of Gardena, who replaced Curren Price in a special election.-District profile:...
and California's 59th State Assembly district
California's 59th State Assembly district
California's 59th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Republican Tim Donnelly of Twin Peaks...
16 years in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
. He was part of the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
leadership, majority leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
in 1972, and helped establish California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's occupational health and safety regime.
Personal
His parents were Lithuanian immigrants. His father operated a delicatessenDelicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
.
He earned a degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in 1939 from what was then called Brockport State Normal School
State University of New York at Brockport
The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...
, and later studied at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
He was drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1941, and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After his discharge, he entered Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
in 1945, and was graduated
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1949.
Also in 1945, he married Betty Byer who subsequently bore him four children.
He established a law practice in Montebello, California
Montebello, California
Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the southwestern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It is located on of land just east of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities, and the city is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of...
in 1949.
Mr. Fenton belonged to many organizations, including the Optimist Club, American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
and Rotary Club.
He received the George Moscone
George Moscone
George Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in 1978, from an association of consumer lawyers in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
He was appointed a member of the Judicial Council of California
Judicial Council of California
The Judicial Council of California is the rule-making arm of the California court system. It was created by an amendment to article VI of the California Constitution in 1926...
in 1979.
Political career
When John Moreno, the first term Mexican AmericanMexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
Assemblyman for the 51st District sought reelection, he faced both Dionisio Morales and Jack Fenton. With the chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
vote split, Fenton won the party's nomination in the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. He carried the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
with 69% of the vote. He continued to represent Montebello, reelected to seven more two year terms (from 1974, in the 59th Assembly District.)
In the legislature, Fenton championed consumers, veterans, and labor (including farm workers.)
After Jess Unruh declared his candidacy for Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in 1969, Fenton and Assemblyman George N. Zenovich
encouraged Unruh (at first unsuccessfully) to resign as party leader in the Assembly.
Following an industrial accident on June 24, 1971, when a methane gas
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
explosion fatal to seventeen workers occurred in the California Water Project
California State Water Project
The California State Water Project, commonly known as the SWP , is the world's largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance system. The SWP was designed and is operated by the California Department of Water Resources...
's Sylmar tunnel, Fenton led the investigation in the Assembly's Committee on Industrial Safety. His investigation, and civil litigation
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
, found negligence by the contractor (Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company , was a shipyard in Seattle, Washington on Harbor Island at the mouth of the Duwamish River. Founded in 1898 as the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, the company that built Harbor Island, it was purchased by Lockheed in 1959...
) and state inspectors. He was a leader promoting statutory change, notably the June 1973 California Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Hospitals and staff threatened to cease organ transplantation activity in 1973 when its legal basis came into question. Criminal defense attorneys argued that harvesting a victim's organs while his heart was still beating caused death, not their clients. Dixon Arnett (R-Redwood City
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
) introduced emergency legislation to recognize death when brain activity ceased. He was three votes short of the required supermajority
Supermajority
A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority . In some jurisdictions, for example, parliamentary procedure requires that any action that may alter the rights of the minority has a supermajority...
when he enlisted Jack Fenton, who secured favorable action from two more members. After the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
passed the bill, Arnett flew to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to secure Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's signature giving force to the law.
From 1977-1980 he was chairman of the Assembly's Judiciary Committee.
Earlier, he had been chairman of the Assembly's Finance and Insurance Committee.
Fenton lost his primary election in 1980 to Matthew G. Martínez
Matthew G. Martínez
Matthew Gilbert "Marty" Martínez was a Congressional representative who was both a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party from California's 30th congressional district from 1983 to 1993 and California's 31st congressional district from 1993 to 2001...
.
Art Torres was a protégé and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Assemblyman Robert Hayden (of Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
's 22nd district
California's 22nd State Assembly district
California's 22nd State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is represented by Democrat Paul Fong of Sunnyvale.-District profile:...
) was a friend.