1. Thomas R Yarborough was an American civic leader and politician.
21 Facts About Thomas Yarborough
1. 2.
In 1966, Yarborough became the first African American mayor of Lake Elsinore, California, and one of three African Americans to be elected mayor that year in California.
3.
Thomas Yarborough's parents were William and Alice Yarborough.
4.
Thomas Yarborough moved with his family to Greenville, Mississippi, where he received a public school education, and studied at Straight University, a historically black college in New Orleans, from 1911 to 1912.
5.
In 1924, Thomas Yarborough worked as a caretaker for the author Harold Bell Wright in Tucson, Arizona.
6.
Thomas and Kathryn Yarborough became "year-round residents" in the small town of Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California, in 1929.
7.
Thomas Yarborough had first visited Lake Elsinore, known for its dry climate and mineral springs, for relief from asthma, after doctors gave him only one year to live.
8.
From 1929 to 1934, Thomas Yarborough was a caretaker and handyman for the estate of the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.
9.
Thomas Yarborough invested in real estate, buying land at tax sales in Riverside County, which he later sold or developed as rental properties.
10.
Thomas Yarborough managed year-round and vacation rentals as part of his property management business.
11.
In 1947, Thomas Yarborough founded the Elsinore Progressive League, which later became known as the Hilltop Community Center.
12.
In 1948, Thomas Yarborough successfully ran for a seat on the Lake Elsinore City Council, becoming the first African American city councilman in California.
13.
Thomas Yarborough had been persuaded to enter politics by Leon H Washington Jr.
14.
In 1948, Thomas Yarborough told Ebony magazine that desegregation finally started when Douglas Aircraft acquired the only factory in town, providing equal opportunities for employment.
15.
Thomas Yarborough reached out to Jewish community leaders to fight discrimination, and together, they were successful in ensuring that anyone could enjoy a drink or meal anywhere in Lake Elsinore.
16.
Thomas Yarborough was defeated when he ran again in 1956, but three years later was appointed to fill a vacancy.
17.
Thomas Yarborough served as a member of the Lake Elsinore City Council for a total of eleven years.
18.
In 1966, Thomas Yarborough was elected mayor of Lake Elsinore by his fellow city council members.
19.
Thomas Yarborough retired in 1968 to focus on writing a book about healing the country's racial problems.
20.
Thomas Yarborough died in an automobile accident on Highway 71 in Riverside County on March 19,1969.
21.
In 1990, a plaque honoring Thomas Yarborough was dedicated in Yarborough Park, donated by the Hilltop Community Center.