Mervyn Malcolm Dymally (May 12, 1926 – October 7, 2012) was an American politician from California. A Democrat, he served in the California State Assembly (1963–1966) and the California State Senate (1967–1975), as the 41st lieutenant governor of California (1975–1979), and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1981–1993). Dymally returned to politics a decade later to again serve in the California State Assembly (2003–2008).
Dymally was the second African-American to hold statewide office in California, following Wilson Riles, who served as California Superintendent of Public Instruction starting in 1971.
Early life and education
Born in Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago, Dymally first received his secondary education at Naparima College before transferring to Saint Benedict's College, both in San Fernando. He is of Dougla (mixed African and Indian) descent.
He moved to the United States to study journalism at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. After a semester there, he moved to the greater Los Angeles area to attend Chapman University, and completed a Bachelor of Arts in education at California State University, Los Angeles in 1954. Dymally became a U.S. citizen in 1957.
In 1969, while serving in the California State Legislature, he earned a master's degree in government from California State University, Sacramento. Dymally earned his doctorate in human behavior from United States International University (later merged into Alliant International University) in San Diego .
In the tightly contested race for lieutenant governor in 1978, Dymally's bid for re-election was derailed when Michael Franchetti, an aide to State Senator George Deukmejian, floated a false rumor that Dymally was about to be indicted. The story, coming days before the election, harmed the Dymally campaign, and Dymally lost to Republican Mike Curb.
Franchetti later said that the source of the rumor was a Los Angeles Times reporter, who called the Justice Department trying to confirm its authenticity. Franchetti could not substantiate the rumor but included it in a report. Then-Attorney General Evelle J. Younger filed a letter of reprimand in Franchetti's personnel records, accusing him of a breach of responsibility.
Dymally was an old friend of Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones. When Jones decided to move his congregation to Jonestown, Guyana, Dymally "wrote the Guyanese prime minister [Forbes Burnham] to reassure him that Jones was an upstanding citizen."
Return to state assembly
Dymally came out of retirement and returned to the State Assembly in 2002 when Assemblyman Carl Washington was term limited. He served for six years and then, himself term-limited, ran to return to the State Senate in 2008. At 82, he was defeated in the Senate primary by Rod Wright.
Death and burial
Dymally died in Los Angeles and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
Legacy
Mervyn M. Dymally High School, at 88th and San Pedro streets in South Central Los Angeles and part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is named in his honor.
Congressional electoral history
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See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
- List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
References
External links
- Voting record from the Washington Post
- Join California Mervyn M. Dymally
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