Ron James
Mayor of San Jose, California
In office
1967–1971
Preceded byJoseph L. Pace
Succeeded byNorman Mineta
Personal details
Born
Ronald Raymond James

(1928-06-11) June 11, 1928 (age 95)

Ronald Raymond James (born June 11, 1928) is an American politician and businessman.[1] James, who was elected Mayor of San Jose, California in 1967, served as the city's first popularly elected mayor from 1967 until 1971.[2][3][4] He retired from office in 1971 after one term and was succeeded by then-San Jose Vice Mayor Norm Mineta.[2]

In 1970, Mayor James submitted a letter addressed to a future mayor, which was placed in a time capsule buried at San Jose's former main library on West San Carlos Street on May 14, 1970.[3][5] Other artifacts included with James's letter included a copy of the San Jose city charter, a city council agenda from 1969, newspaper clippings, and a taped radio interview with city librarian Geraldine Nurney, which was recorded at the library's dedication in April 1970.[3] James had been told that the time capsule would remain buried for about 100 years, so he assumed he wouldn't live to see it reopened.[3] However, the old main library was demolished in 2011, which allowed for the capsule's recovery.[3] The time capsule was opened in September 2013 and James's letter was reprinted in its entirety in the San Jose Mercury News. James remarked at the ceremony, "They told me it was going to be opened in 100 years or longer...I was pleasantly surprised that the Mercury News printed the letter verbatim so people could read it. Now, I'm just happy to still be here."[3]

References

  1. ^ "Pizarro: Former San Jose mayor's words among treasures discovered in library time capsule". September 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "New Mayor of San Jose is Japanese". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. April 14, 1971. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Pizarro, Sal (September 5, 2013). "Former San Jose mayor's words among treasures discovered in library time capsule". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  4. ^ Trounstine, Philip J. (1982). "Flashback: A Short Political History of San Jose (excerp from "Movers and Shakers")" (PDF). San Jose State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "1970 SJPL Time Capsule: Materials placed in the time capsule of the San Jose Public Library, 180 W. San Carlos St. May 14, 1970, 3:00 p.m." San José Public Library. 2013. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.


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