Los Angeles County
Biographies
MICHAEL D. FANNING
Michael D. Fanning, Postmaster of Los Angeles, California, was born in Chicago, Illinois, fifty-seven years ago; attended Cleveland parochial schools and graduated from University preparatory School. He spent two years at Notre Dame University and one year at Ohio State University in Columbus.
Mr. Fanning came to California in 1932 and, as an experienced newspaper man, worked on newspapers in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Glendale, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.
His association with Will Rogers, Jr. During this period led to his managing the campaign of Will Rogers for Congress in 1942. In 1943 Mr. Fanning was elected secretary of the Los Angeles County Democratic Committee, and in 1944 he was unanimously elected chairman of that body, having charge of the campaign to re-elect President Roosevelt and United States Senator Sheridan Downey.
During this period Mr. Fanning was engaged by Twentieth Century-Fox, working under Harry Brand in the publicity department.
On July 4, 1945 Mr. Fanning became Acting Postmaster of Los Angeles. Later he took the required Civil Service Examination, passed at the top of the list, and was confirmed as United States Postmaster on March 15, 1946. Since then yearly receipts have shot up from $20,000,000 to more than $40,000,000 and the number of employees under him has grown from five thousand to eight thousand.
One of the first things Mr. Fanning instituted after becoming Postmaster was the Labor-Management Committee, which was the beginning of Post Office Labor-Management Committees which are now prevalent in many cities throughout the country. A great proportion of his time is spent in bringing about a better understanding among the thousands of postal employees under his command and he is looked upon as one of the most progressive postmasters in the United States.
In the course of his newspaper life Mr. Fanning has met and become fast friends with numerous writers who were contemporary with him. His acquaintanceship ranges through the theater and the arts, the sports and business fields.
After being a widower for more than six years Mr. Fanning, on April 14, 1951, married Mrs. Marguerite Scully. Mrs. Fanning has three children, William, Patricia and Tom Scully, Jr. Mr. Fanning has one son by his first marriage, John Michael Fanning, who is married and has presented him with two grand-daughters, Mary Frances and Pauline Fanning, and twins John and Michael.
Member of Phi Kappa Psi College Fraternity and member of most of the downtown civic clubs; also member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and is on the Board of Directors of the downtown Business Men’s Association. Democrat.
Offices: 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California.
Transcribed
7-28-13 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Eminent
Californians 1953, by Lee E. Johnson & C. W. Taylor. Pages 43-44, C. W. Taylor
Publ., Palo Alto, California, 1953.
© 2013 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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