G. Vernon Bennett

Guy Vernon Bennett (February 17, 1880 – July 31, 1968), also known as G. Vernon Bennett, was superintendent of schools in Pomona, California; a professor of education at the University of Southern California, and a Los Angeles city councilman from the 10th District from 1935 to 1951. A liberal, he was defeated for reelection after seventeen years in office in the wake of arrest on a morals charge. He was a Democrat.

Bennett was born in Waverly, Iowa, on February 17, 1880. He had five siblings, Edward Allen Bennett of Los Angeles, Richard Bennett of Tacoma, Washington, Belle Campbell of Guelph, Ontario, Zellia Campbell of Los Angeles and William M. Bennett. Bennett was married and had at least one son. He was a Kiwanian.

While a city councilman, Bennett, then 65, was "apprehended" in Lincoln Park on October 2, 1950, by two police officers who "took a statement from him at the Highland Park Police Station." A complaint was later issued by the city attorney's office "charging two morals counts." Bennett pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace," and a charge of lewd vagrancy was dismissed "in the interests of justice." He paid a fine of $100.

Bennett, who was then living in Pasadena, died July 31, 1968, at the age of 88.

Bennett was working in Gridley, California, before taking up his position as superintendent of schools in Pomona in July 1914, replacing the retiring schools chief, W.P. Murphy. Near the end of his first school year, he responded to a statement by University of California President Benjamin Ide Wheeler, who had declared vocational training to be "an attempt of aristocracy to keep children of the laborer in the working class so they couldn't better themselves." Bennett said:

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