George W. Downing

George W. Downing
Downing c. 1915
Manhattan Beach City Judge
In office
January 5, 1929 – November 22, 1948
Preceded byLlewellyn Price
Succeeded byD. Clifford Higgins
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 73rd district
In office
January 4, 1915 – January 8, 1917
Preceded byHoward A. Peairs
Succeeded byHenry H. Yonkin
Personal details
Born
George Washington Downing

(1869-02-22)February 22, 1869
Minnesota, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 1948(1948-11-22) (aged 79)
Manhattan Beach, California, U.S.
Resting placePacific Crest Cemetery
Political partySocialist
Other political
affiliations		Populist (1900)
Spouses
  • Agnes
  • Laura
ChildrenGeorge Jr.
EducationUniversity of Minnesota
OccupationAttorney

George Washington Downing (February 22, 1869 – November 22, 1948) was an American attorney and politician who served one term in the California State Assembly for the 73rd district from 1915 to 1917.[1] He was previously City Attorney of Perham, Minnesota,[2] and later served as Manhattan Beach City Judge from 1929 until his death.[3][4]

Downing was one of three Socialists elected to the California State Assembly in 1914, the other two being Witten William Harris and Lewis A. Spengler.[5] Prior to his election, Downing had been a candidate in several races; in 1900, he ran for Otter Tail County Attorney as a Populist;[6] in 1904, he ran again as a Socialist;[7] in 1906, he ran for California Attorney General;[8] in 1908, he ran for Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge;[9] in 1911, he ran for Los Angeles City Auditor on the same ticket as Job Harriman;[10] and in 1912 he ran for State Assembly in the same district he would win two years later.[11] After he lost re-election in 1916, he returned to his law practice, and in 1924 was nominated as a presidential elector for Progressive Party candidate Robert La Follette.[12]

  1. ^ "George W. Downing". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ "California Blue Book, 1913–1915". California State Printing Office. p. 519. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Downing appointed Judge at Manhattan". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 6 January 1929. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ "George W. Downing". The Redondo Reflex. Redondo Beach. 26 November 1948. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Non-partisan bill likely to win out". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. 20 March 1915. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  6. ^ "County Conventions". The St. Paul Globe. St. Paul. 1 September 1900. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Socialists of Otter Hall". The Minneapolis Journal. Minneapolis. 30 June 1904. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  8. ^ "California election". The Hanford Sentinel. Hanford. 20 December 1906. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Socialists name complete ticket". Los Angeles Evening Express. Los Angeles. 24 August 1908. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Socialist vote in Los Angeles heavy". The Labor World. Duluth. 4 November 1911. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Strong man in fight". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 24 July 1912. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  12. ^ "La Follette electors for California named". Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. 29 July 1924. Retrieved 5 August 2024.