Thomas Yarborough

T. R. Yarborough was born in Dermott, Arkansas, on July 23, 1895. His parents were William and Alice Yarborough (née Otis). He moved with his family to Greenville, Mississippi, where he received a public school education, and studied at Straight University, a historically black college in New Orleans, from 1911 to 1912. Due to economic hardship, Yarborough dropped out of school to earn a living, working as a bricklayer, janitor, and chauffeur. In 1916, he married Kathryn Stewart, a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio. The Yarboroughs first moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1919. == Business career ==

In 1924, Yarborough worked as a caretaker for the author Harold Bell Wright in Tucson, Arizona. In 1926, he moved back to Los Angeles, where he learned to upholster furniture at night while working at a furniture factory. From 1929 to 1934, Yarborough was a caretaker and handyman for the estate of the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. During his tenure, he worked with building contractors Yarborough eventually opened his own upholstery business. He also invested in real estate, buying land at tax sales in Riverside County, which he later sold or developed as rental properties. He managed year-round and vacation rentals as part of his property management business. == Civic and political career ==

In 1947, Yarborough founded the Elsinore Progressive League, which later became known as the Hilltop Community Center. becoming the first African American city councilman in California. He had been persuaded to enter politics by Leon H. Washington Jr., publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel, an influential African American newspaper. Yarborough's defeat of the incumbent was significant as the population of Lake Elsinore was less than 9 percent Black at the time. His electoral success was due to his broad base of support from voters across all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Mayor In 1966, Yarborough was elected mayor of Lake Elsinore by his fellow city council members. The other two African-Americans who became mayor in predominantly white communities that year were Dubois McGee of El Centro and Ben F. Gross of Milpitas. The San Francisco Examiner reported that the dedication ceremony emphasized Yarborough's plea "to the people of the USA to lay aside their prejudices and hate and join with the minorities to help establish freedom and first-class citizenship for all men regardless of race or color... in conformity with the constitution of this great Nation." == Death and legacy ==

Yarborough died in an automobile accident on Highway 71 in Riverside County on March 19, 1969. In 1990, a plaque honoring Thomas Yarborough was dedicated in Yarborough Park, donated by the Hilltop Community Center. Around the year 2000, the local NAACP chapter started hosting an annual Juneteenth celebration in Yarborough Park. ==See also==