Carl Ingold Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Carl Ingold Jacobson was a City Council member in Los Angeles, California, from 1925 to 1933. He was tried on a morals charge, and then it was later shown that he was the victim of a frame-up by local police authorities.
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Jacobson, born March 12, 1852, in Norway, was the son of Hans and Menkalie Jakobson and was brought to the United States at the age of 3. When he was grown, he worked for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad as a laborer and later became an engineer
. Jacobson went to college in Saint Paul, Minnesota
, and in 1903-04 he organized a branch of the YMCA
for the Missouri Pacific Railroad
. He was married in 1906 to Rose Summersgill, and in 1909 they moved to Los Angeles, where Jacobson was an engineer for the Southern Pacific. They had one daughter, Dr. Edna Winter. He became a citizen in 1917. The family home in Los Angeles was at 3014 Terry Place in Lincoln Heights. A Republican and a Protestant, he dealt in real estate and insurance. His hobbies were golf, hunting and fishing. He was nicknamed "Jake."
Jacobson ran for the 13th District seat in 1925, but failed of nomination in the May primary. A write-in campaign on his behalf, however, brought him within 13 votes of victory in the June general election over Joseph F. Fitzpatrick. The vote was 3,722 for Fitzpatrick, 3,710 for Jacobson and 2,405 for Joseph L. Pedrotti. The City Council, however, appointed Jacobson to the seat when Fitzpatrick was forced to leave after being arrested and convicted of receiving a bribe
. In 1925 the district was in the eastern part of the city, covering Monterey Hills, Montecito Heights, Elysian Park and part of Echo Park. It was described as the "North End, extending to Mt. Washington Drive, Avenue 44 and Marmion Way." Jacobson was elected in his own right in 1927, 1929 and 1931. He was soundly defeated by Darwin William Tate
in the June 1933 general election, with 7,823 votes against Tate's 14,043.
Jacobson was arrested on August 5, 1927, in the home of a woman at 4372 Beagle Street, El Sereno, who said she was seeking his aid in fighting an assessment for paving her street. Four policemen found him in the bedroom with the woman, later identified as Callie Grimes. Within the next few days he claimed he had been framed and that glasses of liquor had been planted in the home for the arresting officers to find. He said he did not drink alcohol. The next week, a meeting at the Gates Street School attracted more than a thousand supporters of Gates, who had been charged with entering a room for immoral purposes.
At trial, Jacobson admitted to having an "immoral interest" in Grimes, but denied ever acting upon it. He said he refused an offer of a drink, the lights went out and then somebody hit him on the head, rendering him unconscious. The jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the case was dropped. Later it was determined that Grimes had been given $2,500 by Marco, and promised a $100-a-month stipend for her testimony. Rasmussen wrote:
Marco and another racketeer, Charlie Crawford
, were charged along with Grimes and several police officers with conspiracy to frame the councilman. The results were more hung juries, and the cases were discontinued.
Biography
Jacobson, born March 12, 1852, in Norway, was the son of Hans and Menkalie Jakobson and was brought to the United States at the age of 3. When he was grown, he worked for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad as a laborer and later became an engineer
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
. Jacobson went to college in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, and in 1903-04 he organized a branch of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
for the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
. He was married in 1906 to Rose Summersgill, and in 1909 they moved to Los Angeles, where Jacobson was an engineer for the Southern Pacific. They had one daughter, Dr. Edna Winter. He became a citizen in 1917. The family home in Los Angeles was at 3014 Terry Place in Lincoln Heights. A Republican and a Protestant, he dealt in real estate and insurance. His hobbies were golf, hunting and fishing. He was nicknamed "Jake."
City Council
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns.Jacobson ran for the 13th District seat in 1925, but failed of nomination in the May primary. A write-in campaign on his behalf, however, brought him within 13 votes of victory in the June general election over Joseph F. Fitzpatrick. The vote was 3,722 for Fitzpatrick, 3,710 for Jacobson and 2,405 for Joseph L. Pedrotti. The City Council, however, appointed Jacobson to the seat when Fitzpatrick was forced to leave after being arrested and convicted of receiving a bribe
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
. In 1925 the district was in the eastern part of the city, covering Monterey Hills, Montecito Heights, Elysian Park and part of Echo Park. It was described as the "North End, extending to Mt. Washington Drive, Avenue 44 and Marmion Way." Jacobson was elected in his own right in 1927, 1929 and 1931. He was soundly defeated by Darwin William Tate
Darwin William Tate
Darwin William Tate , who went by Darwin W. Tate, was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1933 and 1939 and chief of the California Division of State Beaches and Parks from 1939 to 1942.-Biography:...
in the June 1933 general election, with 7,823 votes against Tate's 14,043.
Vice crusader
Jacobson was known as a "vice crusader." It was said that Jacobson had earned the enmity of a local racketeer, Albert Marco, by refusing an offer of $25,000 to abandon his investigation of crime. "The fearless Jacobson not only declined, but also informed the federal government of Marco's activities, which led officials to fine him $250,000 for tax evasion," Cecelia Rasmussen, a reporter who specialized in historical subjects, wrote for the Los Angeles Times some seven decades later.Jacobson was arrested on August 5, 1927, in the home of a woman at 4372 Beagle Street, El Sereno, who said she was seeking his aid in fighting an assessment for paving her street. Four policemen found him in the bedroom with the woman, later identified as Callie Grimes. Within the next few days he claimed he had been framed and that glasses of liquor had been planted in the home for the arresting officers to find. He said he did not drink alcohol. The next week, a meeting at the Gates Street School attracted more than a thousand supporters of Gates, who had been charged with entering a room for immoral purposes.
At trial, Jacobson admitted to having an "immoral interest" in Grimes, but denied ever acting upon it. He said he refused an offer of a drink, the lights went out and then somebody hit him on the head, rendering him unconscious. The jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the case was dropped. Later it was determined that Grimes had been given $2,500 by Marco, and promised a $100-a-month stipend for her testimony. Rasmussen wrote:
Then, in 1928, Marco's empire began to crumble. During a brawl at Ships Cafe, a boat-shaped eatery and speak-easySpeakeasyA speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
on the Venice Pier, Marco shot and seriously wounded another patron. Stuck in jail, Marco was unable to make his monthly payments to Grimes, . . . [who] blew the whistle in 1929, admitting she helped frame Jacobson.
Marco and another racketeer, Charlie Crawford
Charles H. Crawford
Charles H. Crawford was an American political figure. In the 1920s, his loosely organized crime syndicate in Los Angeles, California was known as the “City Hall Gang.” Crawford was reportedly a model for some of Raymond Chandler’s villains.-Early years:In the early 1900s, Crawford operated...
, were charged along with Grimes and several police officers with conspiracy to frame the councilman. The results were more hung juries, and the cases were discontinued.
See also
- List of California public officials charged with crimes, Los Angeles