John Seymour (California politician)

John Seymour
John Seymour
	Seymour in 1991
United States Senator; from California
	In office; January 10, 1991 – November 4, 1992
Appointed by	Pete Wilson
Preceded by	Pete Wilson
Succeeded by	Dianne Feinstein
Member of the California State Senate; from the 35th district
	In office; April 26, 1982 – January 7, 1991
Preceded by	John Briggs
Succeeded by	John Lewis
39th Mayor of Anaheim
	In office; 1978–1982
Preceded by	Bill Thom
Succeeded by	Don Roth
Personal details
Born	John Francis Seymour Jr.; December 3, 1937 (age 86); Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Judy Seymour
Children	6
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1955-1959
	John Seymour's voice Seymour, while a U.S. senator, commemorates National Hispanic Heritage Month; Recorded September 16, 1992

John Francis Seymour Jr.^[1]^[2] (born December 3, 1937) is an American retired politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1991 to 1992. A member of the Republican Party, he was appointed to continue Pete Wilson's term but lost the special election to finish it to Democratic nominee and former San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein.^[3] As of 2024, he is the last Republican to serve as a U.S. senator from California and the last man to have served as a United States Senator from California for the Class 1 Senate seat. Seymour was also the last U.S. senator from Southern California until Alex Padilla took office on January 20, 2021, replacing Kamala Harris when she was inaugurated as vice president of the United States.

Life and career

Born in Chicago, Seymour attended public schools in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1959 and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1962. Seymour was the president of the California Association of Realtors from 1978 to 1982, and worked in the real estate business from 1962 to 1981.

Seymour served Anaheim as a member of its city council from 1974 to 1978, as the 39th mayor of Anaheim from 1978 to 1982, and as a state senator from 1982 to 1991. In the California Senate, his voting record was that of a moderate or liberal Republican; he voted to ban assault weapons, to outlaw discrimination against people with AIDS, and to increase spending for social programs including education and mental health benefits.^[4] As mayor of Anaheim, Seymour was instrumental in recruiting the Los Angeles Rams to move to Anaheim Stadium.^[5]

In 1991, Seymour was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Pete Wilson to serve in the seat Wilson had vacated to become governor. Seymour's appointment lasted until the 1992 special election to select a replacement who would serve until the normal expiration of Wilson's term in 1995. Former San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein defeated Seymour in the special election.

After his Senate term, Seymour served as director of the California Housing Finance Agency for two years,^[6] and later served as CEO of the nonprofit Southern California Housing Development Corporation and on the boards of directors of several housing-related companies including IndyMac Bank, Orange Coast Title Insurance, Los Angeles Federal Savings Bank, and Irvine Apartment Communities.^[7] Seymour currently lives in San Marcos, California.

References

United States Congress. "John Seymour (id: S000269)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-03-31

^ "Stocks". Bloomberg News. January 30, 2024.
^ Decker, Cathleen (May 26, 1991). "Seymour's Overdrive for Success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
^ "States in the Senate - California's United States Senators". Retrieved April 18, 2017.
^ New Senator from California is named, The New York Times, 1991/01/03.
^ Bailey, Eric (October 4, 1993). "Ex-Senator Has Gained New Agenda: Profile: John Seymour is enjoying his role as housing agency's executive director". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
^ "Orange Coast Title Company". Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
^ "IndyMac Announces the Appointment of Senator John Seymour -Ret.- to the Board of Directors of IndyMac Bancorp, Inc" (Press release). Retrieved April 18, 2017.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Bill Thom	Mayor of Anaheim, California 1978–1982	Succeeded by Don Roth
U.S. Senate
Preceded by Pete Wilson	U.S. senator (Class 1) from California 1991–1992 Served alongside: Alan Cranston	Succeeded by Dianne Feinstein
Party political offices
Preceded by Pete Wilson	Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from California (Class 1) 1992	Succeeded by Michael Huffington
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by George LeMieux as Former US Senator	Order of precedence of the United States	Succeeded by Dean Barkley as Former US Senator