John Vasconcellos

John Vasconcellos
John Vasconcellos 2009
Born	John Bernard Vasconcellos, Jr. (1932-05-11)May 11, 1932 San Jose, California, U.S.
Died	May 24, 2014(2014-05-24) (aged 82) San Jose, California, U.S.
Residence	Santa Clara, California, U.S.
Nationality	United States
Alma mater	Bellarmine College Preparatory and Santa Clara University
Known for	California State Assembly, self-esteem
Political party	Democrat

John Bernard Vasconcellos, Jr. (May 11, 1932 – May 24, 2014) was an American politician from California and member of the Democratic Party. He represented the Silicon Valley as a member of the California State Assembly for 30 years and a California State Senator for 8 years. His lifelong interest in psychology led to his advocacy of the self-esteem movement in California politics.

Vasconcellos came from Portuguese (paternal) and German (maternal) roots. He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory and Santa Clara University. After graduating magna cum laude and valedictorian of his class from Santa Clara, Vasconcellos spent two years as a lieutenant in the United States Army, serving in West Germany. Upon his return, he reenrolled in SCU, obtaining a law degree in 1959. He joined the law firm of Ruffo & Chadwick; after a year, he joined the staff of Governor Pat Brown for one year before returning to the firm.

In 1966, Vasconcellos ran for a seat in the California State Assembly; he took office in 1967. By 1980 he was one of the longest serving members of the Assembly, second only to Speaker Willie Brown. Due to the Assembly's policy of awarding leadership positions based on seniority, he became the chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful assignments in the California Legislature. Vasconcellos proposed the State Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem in October 1986. In 1989, Brown appointed Vasconcellos to chair the Select Assembly Committee on Ethics. Vasconcellos held the positions until he was forced out of the Assembly in 1996 by term limits.