Gordon W. Duffy

Gordon Duffy
Member of the California State Assembly
In office January 4, 1965 – November 30, 1982
Preceded by	Myron H. Frew
Constituency	35th district (1965–1967) 21st district (1967–1974) 32nd district (1974–1982)
Succeeded by	Bill Jones
Personal details
Born	(1924-04-24)April 24, 1924 Hanford, California, U.S.
Died	February 2, 2021(2021-02-02) (aged 96) Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BS, OD)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1944–1946

Gordon West Duffy (April 24, 1924 – February 2, 2021) was an American politician and optometrist who served as a member of the California State Assembly from 1965 to 1982.

Early life and education

Duffy was born in Hanford, California in 1924. His father was an optometrist. Duffy graduated from Hanford High School in 1942 and then began studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He finished his bachelor's degree in 1944. He then became an Ensign in the United States Navy, serving in the Pacific War. He left the Navy in 1946, and studied optometry at the University of California, Berkeley until 1948.

Career

After returning to Hanford, he worked as an optometrist and became involved in local government. He served as a member of the planning commission, on the school board, as a member of the city council and then as mayor of Hanford. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 1964 and served as an Assemblyman until 1982. He was elected as a Republican. While in office, he was one of the principal authors of California's Emergency Services Act. In 1982, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State of California. He then served in the California Cabinet as Secretary of Environmental Affairs and as Chairman of the California Air Resources Board. He later spent 10 years as a consultant on government affairs to various businesses.

Duffy died in February 2021 at the age of 96.