Leo Tarcissus McCarthy

(August 15, 1930-Alive). Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Leo McCarthy was a member of the California State Assembly from 1969 to 1983 (Speaker, June 28, 1974 to 1980). In 1982, he was elected as a Democrat, Lieutenant Governor of California, serving until January 2, 1995. He unsuccessfully sought election as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, losing to Pete Wilson in 1988. A lawyer, after his tenure in public service, McCarthy engaged in international and domestic business affairs.

Richard L. "Dick" Mountjoy

(January 13, 1932, Los Angeles, California-Alive). Dick Mountjoy is a Republican politician from Monrovia, California. He served as Mayor of Monrovia from 1968 to 1976, then sat in the California State Assembly from 1978 to 1995. Mountjoy was a member of the California State Senate from 1995-2002. A staunch conservative, he was the author of Proposition 187, which denied government services to illegal immigrants. As the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, he lost to Dianne Feinstein, 59% to 35%.

Maxwell Lewis "Max" Rafferty

(May 7, 1917, New Orleans, Louisiana-June 13, 1982, Alabama). Dr. Max Rafferty was the controversial Superintendent of Public Instruction for California (1963-1970) when he won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1968. He lost the General Election to Alan Cranston. Rafferty later joined the faculty of Troy State College in Alabama as the Distinguished Chair in Education. Died in an auto accident when his car plunged off an earthen dam into a pond.

Richard Richards

(1916-1988). An ardent Democrat, Dick Richards was one of the founders of the California Democratic Council. From 1955 to 1962, he served in the State Senate, where he was the leading proponent of water rights for southern California. Richards was chosen to give the welcoming address at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 1960. He was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1956 and 1962, losing both times to Tom Kuchel. After his political career ended, he returned to his law practice in Los Angeles, where he died in 1988.

H. L. "Wild Bill" Richardson

(1927-Alive). A graphic arts and advertising executive by profession and a big game hunter by avocation, Bill Richardson was a conservative Republican State Senator from California (1967-1989) when he won the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate in 1974. A former field organizer for the John Birch Society, his strong advocacy for right-wing causes and Christian Reconstructionism proved too much for a statewide constituency. He lost to Alan Cranston and he quickly returned to more local politics. But he gained a measure of fame as the founder of Gun Owners of America and a director of the National Rifle Association. He left the State Senate in 1989, but re-entered politics as the Republican candidate for the Third District Congressional seat against Vic Fazio in 1992. His defeat in that election effectively ended his career in public office, but he continued to be an active voice in conservative circles for some time thereafter. Author of Slightly to the Right and So You Think We Read the Bills.

Samuel William "Sam" Yorty

(October 1, 1909-June 5, 1998). Sam Yorty was best known as the irrascible Mayor of Los Angeles, a post he held from 1961-1973. But Yorty was also a Democratic member of the California State Assembly (1936-1940, 1949-1950), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1951-1955), and a popular radio and television talk show host. He was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1954 and sought the Democratic nomination for the Senate again in 1956. In 1972, he ran for the Democratic nomination for President, gaining some fringe attention, but never a serious contender. During the Reagan Era, he switched parties and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1980 and again for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1981. Yorty was outspoken, colorful, and conservative.

Edward Van Wyck Zschau

(January 6, 1940-Alive). Ed Zschau, one-time President of Systems Industries (a computer equipment manufacturer) and former Professor at Stanford University's School of Business, was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. In 1986, he decided not to run for re-election, instead opting to be the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. Zschau lost that contest and returned to private life as a partner of Brentwood Associates.