William H. Workman - Political Career

Political Career

Workman served several terms on the Los Angeles Common Council, between 1872 and 1880, and was a proxy delegate at the 1872 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore. During his council tenure, he was on the committee that planned the city's first high school, which opened in 1873.

He served two terms as Mayor of Los Angeles from December 14, 1886 to December 10, 1888 He was a conservative Democrat at a time of Republican dominance of politics in the growing city. His mayoral term, lasting the two years of 1887 and 1888, occurred during the years known as the "Boom of the Eighties," during which several parks, including today's MacArthur Park, were established and a new city hall was built. He was also instrumental in overseeing the revision of the city charter and the transfer of the mayor's duties as city judge to a separate judicial figure.

He also served on the city parks commission in the 1890s, when several major parks, including Westlake, Eastlake and Hollenbeck, donated by him and Elizabeth Hollenbeck in memory or Mrs. Hollenbeck's husband and Workman's real estate partner, John, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, and others were created.

He was the treasurer of the city for three terms from 1901 to 1907. During his three terms as treasurer, he assisted in the transfer of municipal water control from private to public ownership and initiated the financial dealings for the early stages of the monumental Los Angeles Aqueduct project.