Councilman Lindsay Dies : L.A. Mourns ‘Emperor of Great 9th’

Gilbert W. Lindsay, the flamboyant political figure who worked his way up from the cotton fields of Mississippi to become the first black politician on the Los Angeles City Council, died early today. Lindsay, who helped shape the emergence of downtown Los Angeles as a major metropolitan center, was 90.

Left speechless and nearly motionless by a massive stroke Sept. 2, Lindsay died shortly after 2 a.m at the Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Hollywood, hospital Vice President Timothy Ogata said.

The official cause of death will be determined by Lindsay’s physician. But Ogata said the veteran council member died from “conditions resulting from the stroke.” Lindsay’s condition had deteriorated in recent days, Ogata said, and he was transferred to an intensive care unit on Christmas Day.

For the past 27 years--and even at his death--Lindsay represented the sprawling, contradictory 9th Council District, which spans from the sparkling skyscrapers of the downtown financial district to the impoverished, crime-ridden slums of South-Central Los Angeles.

“Councilman Lindsay was a dynamic force in Los Angeles who opened the doors of political power to all residents with his appointment to the City Council in January of 1963,” Mayor Tom Bradley said today, mourning Lindsay’s death.

Bradley ordered all flags on city property to be flown at half staff in memory of Lindsay, whose appointment to the all-white City Council made history. Subsequently, he was reelected to a record eight terms, most recently in April, 1989.

The self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Great 9th,” Lindsay became one of the most powerful local politicians in Los Angeles history.

After his last stroke, the second in as many years, the City Council was reluctantly forced to grapple with questions over whether he should be removed from office. Meanwhile, his relatives squabbled over what was left of his estate after it was revealed that a former girlfriend had gained control of most of his personal real estate holdings.

But the decline of the later years was overshadowed today by fond memories of good times.

“The legacy Councilman Lindsay leaves behind is one of care, compassion and commitment to all 9th District constituents--with whom he shared a very special relationship,” said Council President John Ferraro. “The ‘Emperor of the Great 9th’ is dead, but he will always remain in our memories, in our hearts and our love.”

Ferraro said the city will hold a special election to fill the vacant seat.