United States and chairman of the national Democratic Party, in telegrams sent to two council members. In January 1930, Burns and seven other council members who had voted in favor of granting a rock-crushing permit in the Santa Monica Mountains were unsuccessfully targeted for recall on the grounds that the eight "have conspired with Alphonzo Bell, Samuel Traylor and Chapin A. Day, all multi-millionaires, to grant this group a special spot zoning permit to crush and ship from the high-class residential section of Santa Monica, limestone and rock for cement." Burns was one of the six council members who in July 1931 lost a vote to appeal a judge's decision ordering an end to racial restrictions in city-operated swimming pools. The pools had previously been restricted by race to certain days or hours. Burns was appointed to the Water and Power Commission in 1945 and subsequently to the Recreation and Park Commission. He headed the Coliseum Commission in 1947. A city park in Windsor Square at Beverly Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue was named after him in 1959. Personal life Burns was married to Sarah Bertram of Kentucky on October 11, 1898; they had four sons, William B., Robert J., Harry F. and John A. Burns died March 17, 1955, in his home at 672 South Serrano Avenue, between Wilshire Boulevard and Seventh Street. He was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery. Notes References External links Portrait of Robert L. Burns, City Council President, Los Angeles, California, 1935. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. 1876 births 1955 deaths Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council Politicians from Hutchinson, Kansas People from Knoxville, Iowa Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery California Republicans Kansas Republicans