Ernest Otto Voigt (February 2, 1888 – May 21, 1962)[1] was an American educator,[2][3] realtor,[4] plumber[5] and politician who served in the California State Assembly for the 61st district from 1935 to 1943.[6]
Career
Voigt served in the U.S. Navy as a commissary steward from 1908 to 1912,[7] during which he participated in the Admiral Kimball Expedition to Nicaragua.[2][3]
Voigt was one of two dozen “EPIC Democrats” elected to the state legislature in 1934.[8][9] Before his election, he was a member of the Socialist Party, running for Los Angeles’s 15th City Council district in 1927.[10] He was a childhood friend of Daniel Hoan, the Socialist mayor of Milwaukee.[11]
During the 1936 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Voigt joined an EPIC slate nominally pledged to Upton Sinclair for president;[12] they actually supported Franklin D. Roosevelt, but opposed U.S. Senator William Gibbs McAdoo, who headed the president’s slate.[13] The EPIC slate lost to Roosevelt’s by a margin of eight to one.[14]
In 1942, just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Voigt ran for reelection on a platform that highlighted his past support for defense spending.[15] He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Los Angeles City School District supervisor Lester A. McMillan.[16][17]
On April 3, 1943, Voigt was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill two people, Bonita West and Alphonso M. Davis.[18] When Voigt and his car were searched, police found two pairs of brass knuckles, a .38 caliber pistol and a two-foot crowbar.[19] Charged with carrying concealed weapons and attempted murder,[18] Voigt pled guilty to the former and was sentenced to six months in a road camp.[20]
References
- ^ “Ex-Legislator Voigt, 76, Dies”. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. May 23, 1962. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Jordan, Frank C. California Blue Book, 1938. California State Printing Office. p. 59. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Peek, Paul. California Blue Book, 1942. California State Printing Office. p. 75. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ Fletcher, Russel Holmes (1943). Who’s Who In California. Los Angeles: Who’s Who Publications Company. pp. 938–939. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ “Ernest Voigt Dies, Former Assemblyman”. Evening Vanguard. Venice. May 22, 1962. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ “Ernest O. Voigt”. joincalifornia.com. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ “Ernest O. Voigt”. The Waukesha Freeman. Waukesha. May 23, 1962. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ “Olson Wins Over Cobb in State Senate Race, but G.O.P. Majority Assured”. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. November 8, 1934. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Greg (1992). The Campaign of the Century. New York: Random House. p. 545–546.
- ^ “The Watchman”. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. March 6, 1927. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ “Demo Gains in Wisconsin Seen”. United Press. October 15, 1954. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ “Notice of Election”. Madera Tribune. Madera. April 7, 1936. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ “EPIC backs Sinclair for Presidency”. Oakland Tribune. Oakland. February 24, 1936. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Jordan, Frank C. Statement of Vote at Presidential Primary Election held on May 5, 1936 in the State of California. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. pp. 28–29, 52–53. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ “Voigt Tells Work For Defense and State Economy”. Evening Vanguard. Venice. July 9, 1942. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ “McMillan’s Aides Give Statement On Candidacy”. Evening Vanguard. Venice. October 30, 1942. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ Hanson, Chester G. (October 5, 1942). “Economy Bloc Legislators Warned Defeat Possible”. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ a b “Ernest O. Voigt Charged With Attempted Murder”. Evening Vanguard. Venice. April 8, 1943. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ “Ernest Voigt Booked in Jail”. Evening Vanguard. Venice. April 5, 1943. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ “Ernest Voigt Sentenced to Serve Six Months in County Road Camp”. Associated Press. May 28, 1943. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
External links
Media related to Ernest O. Voigt at Wikimedia Commons- JoinCalifornia – Ernest O. Voigt
- Our Campaigns – Voigt, Ernest O. “Ernie”