Collection contains the records of the administrative activities of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, whose tenure in office covered an unprecedented five terms. Although the bulk of the collection covers Bradley's years as mayor (1973-1993), the collection contains some material from Bradley's service as a LA City Councilman (1963-1973) as well as materials related to his candidacy for Governor of CA in 1983 and 1986. The collection covers a variety of subjects related to events and issues in Los Angeles, including transportation, water, offshore oil drilling, education, the 1984 Olympic Games, the Los Angeles Convention Center LA Produce and Flower Markets, and civil unrest (LA Riots). The collection contains records in a variety of formats, including correspondence, photographs, reports, publications, architectural drawings, cassette recordings, video tapes, and memorabilia.

Thomas Bradley was born in Calvert, TX, in 1917; his family moved to Los Angeles, CA, when he was seven years old; attended UCLA; joined LAPD, 1940; married Ethel Mae Arnold, 1941; retired from LAPD as a lieutenant, 1962; elected to LA City Council representing 10th District, 1963-1973; ran unsuccessfully against Sam Yorty for mayor, 1969; became first African American mayor of Los Angeles, 1973; re-elected to a subsequent four terms, serving as mayor until 1993; while in office, Bradley initiated low income housing projects through the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), helped reform the LAPD, strengthened downtown's economic prosperity with the introduction of the LA Produce and Flower Markets, fought offshore oil drilling, expanded the LA workforce to include women and minorities, and oversaw the introduction of a mass transit system in the Los Angeles area; he also brought the 1984 Summer Olympic Games to Los Angeles; ran unsuccessfully for Governor of CA in 1982 and 1986; retired from public office in 1993.

4203 boxes, (2101.5 linear ft.) 50 oversize boxes

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