Oral Histories

Interview of Margarete Clark

Member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education and president of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Los Angeles.
Subtitle:
Crusader in Public Service
Series:
Z: Orphan Interviews pre 1999
Topic:
Politics and Government
Biographical Note:
Member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education and president of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Los Angeles.
Interviewer:
Henstell, Bruce
Interviewee:
Clark, Margarete L., $d 1889-1986
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Abstract:
Childhood and early education in Germany; emigrates alone to United States, 1907; marriage to John Grant Clark; arrival in Los Angeles, 1920; president, Business and Professional Women's Club of Los Angeles, 1934-35; persuaded to run for office on Los Angeles City Board of Education; supports first black teacher hired at Jefferson High School; Mayor Frank Shaw and brother, Joseph Shaw; corruption in school building procedures; nominated to Los Angeles County Housing Authority by John Anson Ford, 1937; three housing projects built; Clifford Clinton and recall of Mayor Shaw; introduction of sex education in schools; rights of teachers to marry; teacher tenure and Judge John Gee Clark; meeting Eleanor Roosevelt; support from Manchester Boddy of Los Angeles Daily News and Judge Harlan Palmer of Hollywood Citizen News; position of Los Angeles Times and Norman Chandler; chief, California Division of Industrial Welfare in Governor Culbert L. Olson's administration; cooperation from Buron Fitts in prosecuting employer violations of law; change from Republican to Democratic Party; early business experience; opposing exploitation of home sweatshop workers in Chinatown; Assistance League; Helen Gahagan Douglas and Richard M. Nixon; attacked by Rheba Crawford; raising money for the March of Dimes; invited by U. S. Attorney General Thomas C. Clark to participate in juvenile delinquency conference, Washington, D.C.; effect of Proposition 13 (June 1978); Ronald W. Reagan; Thomas Bradley.