On November 24, 1935, Ronald Vernie Dellums, a future member of Congress and mayor of Oakland, was born in Oakland, California. Over several decades in public life, Dellums became a prominent voice on military spending, foreign policy and civil rights.
Dellums grew up in a family active in labor organizing. His father worked as a longshoreman and his uncle, C. L. Dellums, was a leader in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. After attending Oakland public schools, Dellums served in the Marine Corps from 1954 to 1956.
He later earned degrees from Merritt College, San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley, and began a career in psychiatric social work and community activism.
His political career started at the local level when he won a seat on the Berkeley City Council in 1967. Four years later, Dellums was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from a district based in Oakland and Berkeley. He became the first African American from Northern California to serve in Congress and one of the few openly socialist lawmakers of the postwar era.
During his 27 years in the House, Dellums became known for challenging major defense programs. He opposed the MX missile, the B-2 bomber, and other Cold War weapons systems, arguing that funding should be redirected to domestic needs. His criticism of U.S. foreign interventions was consistent throughout his tenure, except for his support for emergency relief in Somalia in 1992.
Dellums gained national attention for his long campaign against apartheid in South Africa. He introduced sanctions legislation repeatedly before Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti Apartheid Act in 1986. President Ronald Reagan vetoed the measure, but both chambers voted to override the veto.
It became the first override of a presidential foreign policy veto in the U.S. in the 20th century.
Dellums left Congress in 1998 and later worked as a lobbyist and consultant in Washington. In 2006, he returned to electoral politics and won the race for mayor of Oakland. His administration promoted community-based task forces, police hiring reforms, and efforts to bring federal stimulus funds to the city. His time in office also garnered objections from opponents who said he lacked visibility at City Hall and struggled to meet public expectations.
He declined to seek a second term and left office in 2011.
Dellums died in 2018 at the age of 82 from complications of prostate cancer. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.
