Birth Name: Lawrence Alan Agran
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Date of Birth: February 2, 1945
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Larry Agran is an American politician. A Democrat, he served as Mayor of Irvine, California (from 1982 to 1984, 1986 to 1990, and 2000 to 2004). Larry was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1992.
Larry is the son of Selma Elizabeth (Meyerson) and Reuben Agranowsky/Agran. Reuben was born in Chicago, to Russian Jewish parents.
Larry’s paternal grandparents were Meyer “Max” Agranowsky and Sophie Benzianov/Bensinova/Bianoff.
Two people of Jewish heritage have been nominated for President of the United States by a major party. Barry Goldwater, nominated by the Republican Party in 1964, was the first (Goldwater was born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, and was raised an Episcopalian). John Kerry, nominated by the Democratic Party in 2004, was the second (Kerry’s paternal grandparents were born Jewish, though Kerry’s father and Kerry himself were raised Catholic). Goldwater also sought the 1960 Republican nomination.
Joe Lieberman, who is Jewish, was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Democratic Party in 2000.
Four people of Jewish heritage have won a major party’s Presidential caucus and/or primary:
*Barry Goldwater (1964, the year he was nominated; Republican; won 7 states)
*John Kerry (2004, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 46 states)
*Wesley Clark (who sought the 2004 Democratic nomination; won 1 state, Oklahoma; Clark was born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, and is a practicing Catholic)
*Bernie Sanders (who is seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination; has thus far won 5 states)
Of the four, only Bernie Sanders is Jewish by religion, and he is the first person of Jewish religion to win a caucus and/or primary for a major American political party’s Presidential nomination (the 2016 New Hampshire primary).
Other people of Jewish heritage who have mounted major campaigns for President of the United States are:
*Milton Shapp (who sought the 1976 Democratic nomination)
*Arlen Specter (who sought the 1996 Republican nomination)
*Joe Lieberman (who sought the 2004 Democratic nomination)
Shapp, Specter, and Lieberman were/are all Jewish by religion. Shapp was the first person of Jewish religion to mount a major campaign for President of the United States.
Source: Larry’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org