Sheldon Andelson

Sheldon Andelson (March 5, 1931 – December 29, 1987) was an American higher education administrator and a political fund-raiser.

Sheldon "Shelley" Andelson was born in Cook County, Illinois and raised in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, at the time a Jewish enclave of the city, and went on to have a lucrative career in law and real estate. He was the first openly gayUniversity of California Regent.^[1] In describing Andelson, the Los Angeles Times called him a "Democratic Party heavyweight, once regarded as the nation's most influential gay political figure."^[2] Andelson was nominated to the Board of Regents by GovernorJerry Brown. He survived a nasty confirmation battle and served as a University of California Regent from 1982 to 1987.^[3] He was instrumental in the appointment of one of the first openly gay judges in California, Rand Schrader.^[4] At Andelson's urging, California GovernorJerry Brown appointed Schrader to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1980.^[4] Andelson was also a fund-raiser for Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Walter F. Mondale.^[5]

Andelson was the half-brother of lawyer Roger Horwitz, who was the partner of poet Paul Monette. Monette details the relationship between Horwitz and Andelson in his book 'Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir' . ^[6][7]

Other notable accomplishments, honors and contributions include, founder and Chairman of the Bank of Los Angeles, a member of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art, director of the ACLU Foundation, and a member of a committee of the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles.^[8] Additionally, Andelson was one of the first directors of the "Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center".^[9] Mr. Andelson was a graduate of Stanford University and USC Law School. Andelson served as a member of the Finance Committee of the Democratic National Committee [DNC] and spoke at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, held in New York City.

Sheldon Andelson fue socio principal del restaurante de moda "Trumps" en Melrose Avenue en la década de 1980. En aquel entonces, era uno de los restaurantes más populares y exclusivos de Los Ángeles. Andelson también era propietario de The 8709 Club Baths, un popular local nocturno gay. ^{[ 10 ]}

La Colección Andelson de la Biblioteca de la Universidad de California en Santa Bárbara lleva su nombre en su honor. ^{[ 11 ]} Ubicada en la Biblioteca de Estudios Étnicos y de Género, la Colección "apoya el currículo docente y los intereses de investigación de profesores y estudiantes en estudios sobre personas gay, lesbianas, bisexuales, transgénero y otras identidades de género en todas las disciplinas". ^{[ 11 ]}

El 29 de diciembre de 1987, a los 56 años, Andelson murió por complicaciones relacionadas con el SIDA . ^{[ 5 ]}