(Thomas Bradley), 1917—98, African-American politician, b. Calvert, Tex. A sharecropper's son who became (1940) a Los Angeles police officer, he earned (1956) a law degree from Southwestern Law School and entered (1961) private practice. A Los Angeles city councilman (1963—73), he was elected the city's first black mayor in 1973. A liberal Democrat, he was reelected four times and served until 1993, during a period of Los Angeles's expansion. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 1982 and 1986.
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