Charles K. Fletcher
Charles K. Fletcher | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) From 1947's Pictorial Directory of the 80th Congress | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 23rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Edouard Izac |
| Succeeded by | Clinton D. McKinnon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 15, 1902 San Diego, California, US |
| Died | September 29, 1985 (aged 82) San Diego, California, US |
| Party | Republican |
Charles Kimball Fletcher (December 15, 1902 – September 29, 1985) was an American soldier, banker and politician.
Early life
[edit]Fletcher was born on December 15, 1902, to Ed and Mary C. Fletcher, in San Diego. He graduated from San Diego High School where he set several swimming records, including an unofficial world record time in the 220 yard breaststroke.[1] Fletcher went on to Stanford University, where he was captain of the school's water polo team, which won the national championship in 1924, the year he graduated.[2] He is a member of both the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame and the San Diego Hall of Champions.[1][2]
Fletcher also attended Pembroke College, Oxford University, England, in 1934.[3]
Early career
[edit]After graduation, he went into the savings and loan business. He founded Home Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1934, serving as its president until 1959 when he became chairman of the board of directors.[3]
World War II
[edit]During World War II, Fletcher served as a lieutenant with the United States Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1945.
State commission
[edit]He served as a member of California Commission on Correctional Facilities and Services from 1955 to 1957.[3]
Political career
[edit]Fletcher sought nomination for the U.S. House in 1944, coming in second for the Republican nomination and a very distant second for the Democratic nomination in California's cross-filing system.[4] He was elected to the 80th United States Congress, serving one term from 1947 to 1949. He lost his bid for reelection in 1948.[3] Charles Fletcher was a savings and loan man, which meant a holder of mortgages, and housing was his focus in an 80th Congress that badly needed to focus on housing, its shortage and its rising cost. His solution was the free market; if housing costs increased there would be more incentive for the private sector to build housing. He strove to eliminate controls on rents but also to provide more Federal guarantees of mortgages. And he opposed public housing, which he called “political housing.”[5]
Personal life
[edit]Fletcher married Jeannette Toberman, the daughter of "Mr. Hollywood" Charles E. Toberman in 1926.[6] The couple's son, Charles K. "Kim" Jr., was chair of Home Federal. They also had another son and daughter: Peter and Dale. They lived in San Diego until his death from cancer on September 29, 1985, aged 82. He was cremated and the ashes were scattered off the coast of Del Mar, California.[3]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles K. Fletcher | 69,411 | 56.3% | |||
| Democratic | Edouard Izac (Incumbent) | 53,898 | 43.7% | |||
| Total votes | 123,309 | 100.0% | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Clinton D. McKinnon | 112,534 | 55.8% | |||
| Republican | Charles K. Fletcher (Incumbent) | 87,138 | 43.2% | |||
| Progressive | Harry C. Steinmetz | 2,017 | 1.0% | |||
| Total votes | 201,689 | 100.0% | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Charles K. Fletcher". San Diego Hall of Champions. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "Charles Fletcher". Stanford University. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c d e "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". United States Congress. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ Statement of the Vote, Primary Election (Report). California Secretary of State. May 16, 1944.
- ^ Kemple, Arlon (2026). Had Enough? The Congressional Class of 1946, the Continuity of Policy, and the Transience of Public Office. p. 309.
- ^ Lee, Bobbie Jo (12 May 1987). "Jeannette Fletcher, Wife of S&L; Founder, Dies at 83". LA Times. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "1946 election results" (PDF).
- ^ "1948 election results" (PDF).
External links
[edit]- Biography of Father, Col. Ed Fletcher (San Diego Historical Society). Based on biography in Carl Heilbron's History of San Diego County (1936). Archive.org URL.
- 1902 births
- 1985 deaths
- Politicians from San Diego
- American male breaststroke swimmers
- American Congregationalists
- Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford
- Stanford Cardinal men's water polo players
- Republican Party United States representatives from California
- San Diego High School alumni
- Phi Delta Theta members
- 20th-century United States representatives