Don Rose, 94; Developer Led L.A. County Democratic Party

Don Rose, a former chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee who made an unsuccessful bid for California secretary of state in 1962, has died. He was 94.

Rose died of natural causes Oct. 14 at his home in Laguna Beach, said his son, Donald C. Rose of Pasadena.

Born in Rosedale, Kan., in 1908, the elder Rose received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.

After moving to New York in the early 1930s, he became display department manager for Bloomingdale’s in New York City, which provided the setting for his novel “Big Store,” which was published in 1942.

Deferred from military service during World War II because he had two children, Rose became involved in local Democratic politics in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., after the war, along with his wife, Roma.

In 1948, the family moved to California, where Rose worked in management at Macy’s in Los Angeles.

By the late 1950s, he had become a real estate executive involved in the development of the Lakewood Center.

Resuming his involvement in Democratic politics in California in the late ‘40s, Rose managed a congressional campaign in 1950 and became a member of the executive committee of the Democratic State Central Committee.

He was first elected chairman of the Los Angeles County Central Committee in 1954 and served for eight years. In 1961, he became chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Glenn Anderson.

After his unsuccessful run for secretary of state in 1962, Rose was postmaster of Laguna Beach and Laguna Niguel from 1965 to 1973.

He was active on the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce beautification committee, as well as in the Greenbelt and Village Laguna civic organizations.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by his daughter, Romita “Skip” Lowe of Laguna Beach, and four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 429 Cypress Drive, Laguna Beach.