Los Angeles Mayor. He served as the 30th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1915 to 1916. He was born in Farmington, Missouri and moved with his family to Southern California as an infant. Around 1894, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), at a time when the force had only 60 officers and was tightly controlled by City Hall. Sebastian was skilled at both police work and politics and he rose through the Democratic Party machine to appointment as Police Chief of the LAPD in 1911. In the midst of his 1915 mayoral campaign (on an anti-vice platform) he was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor; renowned attorney Earl Rogers secured his acquittal and he was elected by a narrow margin. This made him the first L.A. Police Chief to become Mayor. The notable event during Sebastian's 14 month-term as mayor was the annexation of most of the San Fernando Valley and Westside to Los Angeles. He resigned in September 1916 after further allegations about his personal life were published in a local newspaper. According to the American Film Institute (AFI), Sebastian starred in a Hollywood film, "The Downfall of a Mayor" (1917, now lost), which exploited his days in office. The rest of his life was spent quietly at his Valley ranch.
Los Angeles Mayor. He served as the 30th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1915 to 1916. He was born in Farmington, Missouri and moved with his family to Southern California as an infant. Around 1894, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), at a time when the force had only 60 officers and was tightly controlled by City Hall. Sebastian was skilled at both police work and politics and he rose through the Democratic Party machine to appointment as Police Chief of the LAPD in 1911. In the midst of his 1915 mayoral campaign (on an anti-vice platform) he was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor; renowned attorney Earl Rogers secured his acquittal and he was elected by a narrow margin. This made him the first L.A. Police Chief to become Mayor. The notable event during Sebastian's 14 month-term as mayor was the annexation of most of the San Fernando Valley and Westside to Los Angeles. He resigned in September 1916 after further allegations about his personal life were published in a local newspaper. According to the American Film Institute (AFI), Sebastian starred in a Hollywood film, "The Downfall of a Mayor" (1917, now lost), which exploited his days in office. The rest of his life was spent quietly at his Valley ranch.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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