• Home
  • About Us
    • JoinCalifornia
    • Use as a Reference
  • California 175
    • 1849-1850 Events
    • Events Calendar
  • Political History
    • 2021 Senate to Assembly District Table
    • Covering the Capitol
    • Scott Lay’s Sofa Degree
    • Legislative Committee Reports
    • Legislative Staff
    • Term Limits in California
    • Notable No Votes
    • Redistricting
  • Nelson S. Dilworth Collection
    • California’s Military History
  • Leroy F. Greene Collection

One Voter Project

The Online Home of California's Political History

December 6, 2011 By Alex Vassar Leave a Comment

70 Years After Pearl Harbor

Wednesday marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor that launched the United States into World War II. The war, which killed more than 62 million people,

John B. Cooke

Two legislators, Assemblymen John B. Cooke and G. Delbert Morris, were at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Cooke, a sitting legislator, had been called to active duty after the 1941 Regular Session ended and had to request permission from the Assembly to miss the special session called in the days after the attack.

Within a month of the attack, Governor Culbert Olson had issued a number of proclamations including ordering California authorities to assist in the registration, evacuation and internment of “Enemy Aliens” in the coastal areas of California (which had been designated a combat zone by the U.S. military).

Of the thousands of Japanese relocated to internment camps during the war were eight who would later become legislators in California; Nao Takasugi (Gila River), Mike Honda (Granada), Norm Mineta (Heart Mountain), Paul T. Bannai (Lone Pine), Doris Matsui (Poston), George Nakano, Alan Nakanishi, Robert Matsui (all three at Tulelake).

Although Pearl Harbor was the last major engagement fought on U.S. soil, the war continued overseas for another three and a half years. Sixteen million Americans served in the war, including over 200 men who later served in the California legislature;

  • Robert W. Crown and Laughlin Waters were an infantry officers who lead soldiers in France
  • John C. Begovich fought in several campaigns; North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France
  • Gil Ferguson fought in the Pacific, including at Tarawa
  • Two others, Burt Talcott and George G. Crawford, lived as POWs for more than a year after their bombers were shot down on runs over Germany
Lou Papan

The contributions made by the WWII generation continue to define much of contemporary politics in California. In fact, it was less than a decade ago when the last WWII veteran, Assemblyman Lou Papan, served in the legislature (retiring in 2002).

Filed Under: Top Stories

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent News

New 2025 “California Lawmaker” Released

December 14, 2024

The new edition of "California Lawmaker" by JoinCalifornia.com editor Alex … [Read More...]

Legislative Retirement

December 8, 2024

In December 2024, Assemblyman Corey Jackson introduced legislation (ACA 2 of … [Read More...]

Adding Candidates

March 7, 2024

When to add candidates to the election data is always an interesting question. … [Read More...]

First Women to Chair Legislative Committees

January 25, 2024

I was recently asked who the first woman to chair a committee was. As it turns … [Read More...]

What Happened in the 2022 Election

November 13, 2022

[Updated 12/12] That was interesting. An election season that roared by in … [Read More...]

Latest Tweets

  • Just now
  • More Tweets by Alex Vassar

Fun Fact

The first person to ever resign from the Assembly after winning a Senate special election was Allen G. Thurman in 1947.

California Lawmaker 2021

Now Available on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • Legislator Hometowns December 19, 2024
  • New 2025 “California Lawmaker” Released December 14, 2024
  • Legislative Retirement December 8, 2024
  • Adding Candidates March 7, 2024

Copyright © 2025 · Education Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in