Mexican American Art Since 1848 (MAAS1848)

Congressional District Representative Thomas Rees And 30Th District Representative Edward Roybal

Made Accessible Through A Grant From The John Randolph Haynes And Dora Haynes Foundation

Curtis, Rolland J

Photographer Rolland Curtis accompanied Congressional District Representative Rees, center, as he met with influential Mexican-American Representative Edward Roybal, left, and an unidentified man to the right. Photograph circa 1965. See images 00119143 through 00119145 and 00137907 through 00137941 for additional photos in this series.

Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving three years in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from USC. He later became involved in city politics, as an associate of Sam Yorty, and later a field deputy to City Council members Billy Mills and Tom Bradley. He was briefly director of the Model Cities program in 1973. Rolland J. Curtis died in his home in 1979, the victim of a homicide. An affordable housing complex on Exposition Blvd. near Vermont Ave. was named in his honor in 1981, along with a nearby street and park.; Thomas Mankell Rees was born on March 26, 1925. He served in the California State Assembly and Senate. Rees introduced the bill in the state legislature which created the Southern California Rapid Transit District. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1965. Rees died in 2003.; Edward Ross Roybal was born on February 10, 1916. He is one of the country's most influential Hispanic politicians. He was the cofounder of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and its first chairman. In 1949, he became the first Hispanic to serve on the Los Angeles City Council since 1881. In 1962, due to eight additional seats becoming available in the U.S. House, Roybal entered and won the newly created 30th District Democratic nomination by a three to one margin. His daughter is also Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. Representative for California's 40th Congressional District.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Washington (D.C.)

Office Buildings

Roybal, Edward Ross,--1916-2005

Office Equipment And Supplies

Men

Office Furniture

Telephone

Rees, Thomas M.,--1925-

Legislators

Mexican Americans

Cigars

Men--Political Activity

1965

image

Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

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