Ransom M. Callicott
Encyclopedia
Ransom M. Callicott was president of the National Restaurant Association, co-founder of Meals for Millions and a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1955 until his death. He was one of the doubters of the proposal to bring the baseball Dodgers from Brooklyn and install them in a new stadium in Chavez Ravine, insisting upon carefully examining the plans for the stadium before it was built.
for the Boos Brothers restaurant chain. In 1931 he joined Clifford E. Clinton in the operation of Clifton's Cafeteria
and in 1932 became Clinton's partner. He was a food consultant to the government in World War II, touring military camps and recommending diets for service personnel. He was a co-founder with Clinton of Meals for Millions, which packaged and distributed a high-protein product called MPF, or multipurpose food, to fight hunger. Other activities included director of the Welfare Foundation of Los Angeles and president of the Trojan Club—the only president to that date who had not attended the University of Southern California
.
Callicott and his first wife, Anne Kennedy, divorced in 1939. He married again, to Alice Callicott, in 1952, and they lived at 201 South Occidental Boulevard.
Callicott, then 62, first suffered a heart ailment in April 1959 in Washington, D.C., as he accompanied Mayor Norris Poulson
and Councilman James C. Corman
in a bid to bring the 1960 Republican National Convention
to Los Angeles; he was treated at Georgetown University Hospital. He died of a heart attack three years later in his home at 353 South Lafayette Park Place on November 14, 1962, leaving left three young children, Bryan, Bret and Charles Edward, and a daughter by his first marriage, Mary Rose Brown. Burial was in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
.
. He said: "If it is passed, our industry would be faced with a 40-hour week. This would mean that unions would demand the same wages for 40 hours that now are paid for the prevailing 48 hours." He forecast higher prices, failing restaurants and unemployment if the bill were passed.
The association was host to the Pacific Coast Regional Restaurant Convention and Exposition in August 1948, with Callicott as speaker. He also planned a trip to the capital in May 1951 to fight new price ceiling
rules on meat shipped from Denver, Colorado. When he returned, he urged restaurateurs to work against the Office of Price Stabilization
rules or to eliminate meat entirely from their menus.
In 1949 he was president of the National Restaurant Association
.
Commission. As a commissioner, he urged overhaul of the 1925 city charter, which he called a
At the time of his death he was a member of the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission. As president of the commission, Callicott called for a Congressional investigation of the United States Olympic Committee
in the wake of decision by that body to give support to Detroit, Michigan
, for the 1968 Summer Olympics
instead of Los Angeles, which had entered a bid. Speaking for the Los Angeles delegation to an Olympic Committee meeting in Chicago, which he headed, he said that the committee "likes foreign trips with all expenses paid and for that reason will consistently fail to press the bid of any United States city."
Callicott ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 12
seat in 1953, losing to incumbent Councilman Ed J. Davenport in the final by just 443 votes. After Davenport died in June 1953, Callicott was one of the 13 hopefuls interviewed by a City Council committee to replace him. He "described himself as a middle-of-the-road political thinker and said that left-wing support which was attracted to his recent campaign for City Council developed only because this element was more antagonistic to Davenport." The council decided to appoint Davenport's widow, Harriett Davenport, to the position.
In 1955, however, Harriett Davenport did not stand for election, and Callicott was elected to the 12th District seat. He was reelected for a four-year term in 1959 and did not run in 1963.
In that era, the 12th District lay west of Downtown Los Angeles
, between Figueroa and Catalina streets. It was bounded roughly by Venice Boulevard on the south, Sunset Boulevard
on the north, Catalina Street on the west and Figueroa Street
on the east.
, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, was making plans to build a new stadium in Chavez Ravine
. As such, he received detailed plans for the 52,000-seat stadium and later endorsed the idea. He said:
Other activities during his council service:
Oil, 1956. Despite protests from Councilwoman Rosalind Wyman and residents of Cheviot Hills, Callicott moved a successful resolution asking that the city-owned Rancho Park Golf Course be explored for oil. Oil production was later begun on the property, with royalties going to the city.
Parking, 1956. He proposed regulating the fees charged by private parking lots after he had to pay $1.60 for parking "slightly more than three hours" in the Pershing Square garage.
Pershing Square, 1957. Callicott was one of the first to recommend that the grass be removed from the Pershing Square park in Downtown Los Angeles
in favor of concrete because "during a fashion show . . . by the city's dress industry to keep its citizens abreast of new stylings, some 10,000 spectators were hampered by an edict . . . to 'keep off the grass.' "
Zoo, 1959. Callicott was one of just five council members who, after eight hours of debate, voted against a city contract with a nonprofit called Friends of the Zoo to build and operate a World Zoo
for the city of Los Angeles. The action earned him the enmity of the Los Angeles Examiner, whose publisher, Franklin S. Payne, sent him a special delivery letter, which arrived at 2 a.m., excoriating him for his vote.
Tax, 1962, The City Council rejected his bid to levy a city income tax
, which he said would bring in $12 million a year.
Yorty, 1962. Callicott read a three-page statement in a City Council meeting accusing Mayor Sam Yorty of keeping the facts about civic problems from the public and maintaining a large public relations staff which was "lurking behind nearly every door and office of the City Hall." He said his statement was prompted by the mayor's accusations that the twelve council members who opposed plans for a hotel on city-owned land at Los Angeles International Airport
were "puppets" for hotel and motel interests. Callicott referred to the successful recall election of Mayor Frank L. Shaw
in 1938 of which he said he was one of the leaders.
Biography
Callicott came to Los Angeles from Saint Louis, Missouri, in 1919 and began his career in the restaurant business as a busboyBusboy
Busser, busboy and busgirl are terms used in the United States for someone who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables and otherwise assisting the waiting staff....
for the Boos Brothers restaurant chain. In 1931 he joined Clifford E. Clinton in the operation of Clifton's Cafeteria
Clifton's Cafeteria
Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of Clifton's restaurants, is the oldest surviving cafeteria style eatery in Los Angeles, California, and the largest public cafeteria in the world. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the name was created by combining the first half of "Clifford" and the...
and in 1932 became Clinton's partner. He was a food consultant to the government in World War II, touring military camps and recommending diets for service personnel. He was a co-founder with Clinton of Meals for Millions, which packaged and distributed a high-protein product called MPF, or multipurpose food, to fight hunger. Other activities included director of the Welfare Foundation of Los Angeles and president of the Trojan Club—the only president to that date who had not attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Callicott and his first wife, Anne Kennedy, divorced in 1939. He married again, to Alice Callicott, in 1952, and they lived at 201 South Occidental Boulevard.
Callicott, then 62, first suffered a heart ailment in April 1959 in Washington, D.C., as he accompanied Mayor Norris Poulson
Norris Poulson
C. Norris Poulson served as the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1953 to 1961, after having been a California State Assemblyman and then a member of the United States Congress for eight years...
and Councilman James C. Corman
James C. Corman
James Charles Corman was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1957 to 1961 and a Democratic Congressman from California between 1961 and 1981.-General:...
in a bid to bring the 1960 Republican National Convention
1960 Republican National Convention
The 1960 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 25 to July 28, 1960, at the International Amphitheatre....
to Los Angeles; he was treated at Georgetown University Hospital. He died of a heart attack three years later in his home at 353 South Lafayette Park Place on November 14, 1962, leaving left three young children, Bryan, Bret and Charles Edward, and a daughter by his first marriage, Mary Rose Brown. Burial was in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
.
Business
As chairman of the Southern California Restaurant Association (1947–50), Callicott went to Washington, D.C., in February 1949 to lobby against a proposal to add restaurants to the federal wages and hours lawFair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is a federal statute of the United States. The FLSA established a national minimum wage, guaranteed 'time-and-a-half' for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor," a term that is defined in the statute...
. He said: "If it is passed, our industry would be faced with a 40-hour week. This would mean that unions would demand the same wages for 40 hours that now are paid for the prevailing 48 hours." He forecast higher prices, failing restaurants and unemployment if the bill were passed.
The association was host to the Pacific Coast Regional Restaurant Convention and Exposition in August 1948, with Callicott as speaker. He also planned a trip to the capital in May 1951 to fight new price ceiling
Price ceiling
A price ceiling is a government-imposed limit on the price charged for a product. Governments intend price ceilings to protect consumers from conditions that could make necessary commodities unattainable. However, a price ceiling can cause problems if imposed for a long period without controlled...
rules on meat shipped from Denver, Colorado. When he returned, he urged restaurateurs to work against the Office of Price Stabilization
Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA was originally to control money and rents after the outbreak of World War II.President Franklin D...
rules or to eliminate meat entirely from their menus.
In 1949 he was president of the National Restaurant Association
National Restaurant Association
thumb|National Restaurant Association logoThe National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation...
.
Commissions
Before his election to the council, Callicott was a member of the city's Civil ServiceCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
Commission. As a commissioner, he urged overhaul of the 1925 city charter, which he called a
125,000-word spider web of entangling phrases in which any honest official, once caught, struggles vainly for release. The only beneficiaries of this web are the nameless spider architects who have a vested interest in chaos, conflict and controversy.
At the time of his death he was a member of the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission. As president of the commission, Callicott called for a Congressional investigation of the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
in the wake of decision by that body to give support to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, for the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
instead of Los Angeles, which had entered a bid. Speaking for the Los Angeles delegation to an Olympic Committee meeting in Chicago, which he headed, he said that the committee "likes foreign trips with all expenses paid and for that reason will consistently fail to press the bid of any United States city."
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1953–59.Callicott ran for the Los Angeles City Council District 12
Los Angeles City Council District 12
Los Angeles City Council District 12 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council. It encompasses the far northwestern section of the city in the San Fernando Valley. Mitchell Englander is the current officeholder....
seat in 1953, losing to incumbent Councilman Ed J. Davenport in the final by just 443 votes. After Davenport died in June 1953, Callicott was one of the 13 hopefuls interviewed by a City Council committee to replace him. He "described himself as a middle-of-the-road political thinker and said that left-wing support which was attracted to his recent campaign for City Council developed only because this element was more antagonistic to Davenport." The council decided to appoint Davenport's widow, Harriett Davenport, to the position.
In 1955, however, Harriett Davenport did not stand for election, and Callicott was elected to the 12th District seat. He was reelected for a four-year term in 1959 and did not run in 1963.
In that era, the 12th District lay west of Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, between Figueroa and Catalina streets. It was bounded roughly by Venice Boulevard on the south, Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
on the north, Catalina Street on the west and Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
on the east.
Highlights
Callicott was chairman of the City Council's Planning Committee when Walter O'MalleyWalter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, was making plans to build a new stadium in Chavez Ravine
Chávez Ravine
Chavez Ravine is an area in Sulfir Canyon that is the current site of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.It was named after Julian Chavez, a Los Angeles Councilman in the 19th century.-History:...
. As such, he received detailed plans for the 52,000-seat stadium and later endorsed the idea. He said:
I'm not particularly a baseball fan, but I voted for the contract because I considered it good business for this city—and for all the cities surrounding us.
Other activities during his council service:
Oil, 1956. Despite protests from Councilwoman Rosalind Wyman and residents of Cheviot Hills, Callicott moved a successful resolution asking that the city-owned Rancho Park Golf Course be explored for oil. Oil production was later begun on the property, with royalties going to the city.
Parking, 1956. He proposed regulating the fees charged by private parking lots after he had to pay $1.60 for parking "slightly more than three hours" in the Pershing Square garage.
Pershing Square, 1957. Callicott was one of the first to recommend that the grass be removed from the Pershing Square park in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
in favor of concrete because "during a fashion show . . . by the city's dress industry to keep its citizens abreast of new stylings, some 10,000 spectators were hampered by an edict . . . to 'keep off the grass.' "
Zoo, 1959. Callicott was one of just five council members who, after eight hours of debate, voted against a city contract with a nonprofit called Friends of the Zoo to build and operate a World Zoo
Los Angeles Zoo
The Los Angeles Zoo , is a zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The City of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals...
for the city of Los Angeles. The action earned him the enmity of the Los Angeles Examiner, whose publisher, Franklin S. Payne, sent him a special delivery letter, which arrived at 2 a.m., excoriating him for his vote.
Tax, 1962, The City Council rejected his bid to levy a city income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
, which he said would bring in $12 million a year.
Yorty, 1962. Callicott read a three-page statement in a City Council meeting accusing Mayor Sam Yorty of keeping the facts about civic problems from the public and maintaining a large public relations staff which was "lurking behind nearly every door and office of the City Hall." He said his statement was prompted by the mayor's accusations that the twelve council members who opposed plans for a hotel on city-owned land at Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
were "puppets" for hotel and motel interests. Callicott referred to the successful recall election of Mayor Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...
in 1938 of which he said he was one of the leaders.