Editing Sheldon Andelson

{{Short description|American politician}}
'''Sheldon Andelson''' (March 5, 1931 – December 29, 1987) was an American [[higher education]] administrator and a political [[fund-raiser]].

==Biography==
Sheldon "Shelley" Andelson was born in [[Cook County, Illinois]] and raised the [[Boyle Heights]] area of Los Angeles, at the time a Jewish enclave of the city, and went on to have a lucrative career in law and real estate.  He was the first [[openly gay]] [[Regents of the University of California|University of California Regent]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-30-mn-21622-story.html |title=Kevin Roderick, "Andelson Dies of AIDS; Gay Regent, Activist," ''Los Angeles Times,'' December 30, 1987 |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1987-12-30 |access-date=2013-12-05}}</ref>  In describing Andelson, the ''Los Angeles Times'' called him a "Democratic Party heavyweight, once regarded as the nation's most influential gay political figure."<ref>Kevin Roderick, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-30-mn-21622-story.html Andelson Dies of AIDS; Gay Regent, Activist]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.  December 30, 1987. Accessed May 22, 2015</ref>  Andelson was nominated to the Board of Regents by [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Jerry Brown]].  He survived a nasty confirmation battle and served as a University of California Regent from 1982 to 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA |url=https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/_documents/pdf/regentslistb.pdf |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=regents.universityofcalifornia.edu}}</ref>  He was instrumental in the appointment of one of the first openly gay judges in California, [[Rand Schrader]].<ref name=latimes_19911125>Tracy Wilkinson, [http://www.aegis.org/news/lt/1991/LT911129.html Municipal Court Judge Faces Challenge of AIDS - Disease] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813042722/http://www.aegis.org/news/lt/1991/LT911129.html |date=2011-08-13 }}, ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' (November 25, 1991).</ref>  At Andelson's urging, [[Governor of California|California Governor]] [[Jerry Brown]] appointed Schrader to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1980.<ref name=latimes_19911125/>  Andelson was also a fund-raiser for Senator [[Edward M. Kennedy]] and [[Walter F. Mondale]].<ref name="NYTimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/01/obituaries/sheldon-andelson-political-fund-raiser-56.html?pagewanted=1 Obituaries: Sheldon Andelson, Political Fund-Raiser, 56], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (January 01, 1988).</ref>

Other notable accomplishments, honors and contributions include, founder and Chairman of the Bank of Los Angeles, a member of the [[Anti-Defamation League|Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith]], a founder of the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]], director of the [[American Civil Liberties Union|ACLU Foundation]], and a member of a committee of the 1984 [[Olympic Games]] held in Los Angeles.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}} Mr. Andelson was a graduate of Stanford University and USC Law School. Andelson served as a member of the Finance Committee of the Democratic National Committee [DNC] and spoke at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, held in New York City.

Sheldon Andelson was a lead partner in the 1980s trendy Melrose Avenue restaurant "Trumps". At the time, one of Los Angeles' most popular and exclusive dining spots. Andelson was also owner of The 8709 Club Baths, a popular gay nightlife spot.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Offer|first=Special-|title=queer-maps|url=https://queermaps.org/place/8709-club-baths|access-date=2021-09-08|website=queer-maps|language=en}}</ref>

The Andelson Collection at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library is named in his honor.  Located in the Ethnic and Gender Studies Library, the Collection supports the teaching curriculum and research interests of faculty and students in gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and studies across the disciplines.

On December 29, 1987, aged 56, Andelson died of complications related to [[AIDS]].<ref name="NYTimes"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andelson, Sheldon}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American political fundraisers]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from California]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from Illinois]]
[[Category:AIDS-related deaths in California]]
[[Category:Politicians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:University of California regents]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century American academics]]
[[Category:Gay Jews]]