Quick Facts
Biography
Douglas Dollarhide (March 11, 1923 – June 28, 2008) was an American politician, notable for serving as the first black mayor of a major California city.
Biography
Douglas F. Dollarhide witnessed first hand the transformation of Compton, California from a predominantly white Los Angeles suburb into one of the most heavily concentrated African American communities in the United States. He was elected to the City Council in 1963, becoming its first African American member.
In 1969, Dollarhide made history again, when he became not only the first black mayor of Compton, but the first African American mayor of a major town in California since American rule. After his election crime rose and property values declined throughout Compton. He was defeated for reelection in 1973.
Compton's Dollarhide Neighborhood Center is named after him.
Dollarhide died on June 28, 2008, aged 85, at his home in Northridge in the San Fernando Valley.