Background
Lionel B. Cade was born in Hardin County, Texas on August 14, 1918, the son of Charley and Virginia (Slocum) Cade.
Lionel B. Cade was born in Hardin County, Texas on August 14, 1918, the son of Charley and Virginia (Slocum) Cade.
He also served his country during the Korean War. Cade earned a bachelor"s degree at the University of San Francisco and a master"s from University of Southern California. When the Review Raul Imschweiler did not seek re-election to the Compton City Council in 1961, Cade ran for his seat.
He lost to Robert Kerr by just 413 votes.
In 1964, he was appointed to the Council, one of the first African Americans to serve there. He was elected to a four-year term the following year and reelected in 1969.
He finished third. Despite that defeat, he was successful on his second try in 1977.
An accountant by profession, Cade ordered an audit of the city"s finances soon after he took office. He discovered that the city had a deficit of $2 million.
As a result of that finding, Cade initiated a series of cost-cutting measures that wiped out the debt within one year. In 1978, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13, an initiative that severely reduced property tax revenues.
Since much of the fat was already eliminated from Compton"s budget, it was one of the most hardest hit by the measure.
Cade later moved to Stockton, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died April 3, 1990. He had suffered from emphysema.
During World World War II, he was a member of the United States. Army"s first black paratroop battalion, the 555th. He would be a member of the council until 1973, when he made his first attempt as mayor.
