Fred Farr
Farr in 1993
Member of the California State Senate
from the 25th district
In office
May 23, 1955 – January 2, 1967
Preceded byFrederick Weybret
Succeeded byRobert S. Stevens
Personal details
Born(1910-08-02)August 2, 1910
Oakland, California
DiedJune 10, 1997(1997-06-10) (aged 86)
Carmel, California
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Janet Emerson Haskins
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1965)​
Children3 (including Sam)
ResidenceCarmel, California
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley

Frederick Sharon Farr (August 2, 1910 – June 10, 1997) was an American politician who served in the California State Senate for the 25th district from 1955 to 1967.[1] A Democrat, he authored the bills SB 118, which established the California Commercial Code, and SD 2007, which authorized California to purchase Asilomar State Beach.

He is the father of Sam Farr, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017.[1]

Early life and education

Farr was born in Oakland, California on August 2, 1910, to Harry St. Laurence Farr and Blanche Virginia Sharon, being raised in the neighboring city of Piedmont with his brother William Sharon Farr. He attended from University of California, Berkeley, studying at the university's School of Law and graduating in 1935. He worked for the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco, then being hired by the United States Maritime Commission during World War II and later working for the Port of New York.[2]

Political career

Farr as a member of the State Senate in 1958.

In 1954, Farr ran for State Assembly in the 34th district, but lost to Alan G. Pattee. The next year, he ran for the State Senate in the 25th district, as a special election had been called due to the death of Frederick Weybret. He defeated former Speaker of the Assembly James W. Silliman and became the first Democratic member for the district since 1921.[3]

As a state senator, Farr was known as a conservationist, helping create the scenic highway system and helped create legislation that allowed cities and counties to get conservation easements and helped push legislation that created the Older Americans Act.[4][5][6]

In 1966, he was redistricted to the 17th district and ran for re-election, but lost to Donald L. Grunsky.[7] He then ran for State Assembly for the 34th district in 1969 after the death of Pattee, his opponent in the 1954 election, but he lost to Bob Wood.[8]

Personal life

Farr (right) with his son Sam and his wife Shary during Sam's oath of office in 1993.

Farr married Janet Emerson Haskins on May 14, 1938, in Los Angeles, and with her, they had three children: Sam, Francesca, and Nancy. In 1965, Janet passed away from cancer and in that same year, Nancy died after being thrown from a horse and suffering from blunt head trauma while in Colombia.[9] On June 28, 1970, Francesca married Prescott Sheldon Bush III, a member of the Bush family.[10] In 1992, Sam was elected to the California State Assembly and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993.[1]

Farr died on June 10, 1997, in his home in Carmel, California after suffering from a stroke complicated by pneumonia.[1][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Fred Farr". SFGATE. June 12, 1997.
  2. ↑ Lage, Ann (October 9, 1987). "Oral History Interview with FREDERICK S. FARR" (PDF). California State Archives.
  3. ↑ "Demos Win New Monterey State Senatorial Seat". Madera Tribune. Vol. 63, no. 328. May 4, 1995.
  4. ↑ "Scenic Highways Master Plan Proposed". Blue Lake Advocate. Vol. 77, no. 33. December 16, 1965.
  5. ↑ "Marin Conservation Council To Present Awards At Dinner". Sausalito News. February 9, 1966.
  6. ↑ "Drive Starts To Beautify State Roads". Sausalito News. Vol. 76, no. 3. January 21, 1961.
  7. ↑ "The Monterey Vacancy". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Vol. 113, no. 100. April 28, 1969.
  8. ↑ Veysey, Victor. "Oh, A Triumphant Week It Was!". The Desert Sun. Vol. 82, no. 286.
  9. ↑ Mitchell, Jeff (February 2, 2017). "Sam Farr's Monterey County legacy". The Salinas Californian.
  10. ↑ "Francesca Farr Is Bride Of Prescott S. Bush 3d". The New York Times. 28 June 1970. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  11. ↑ "Former state Sen. Fred Farr suffers stroke". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Vol. 140, no. 156. June 7, 1997.
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