In 1917, the former Mission Avenue was changed to Langdon Avenue in honor of dentist-turned-councilman Frederick Chauncey Langdon (1868-1957). (Several Valley streets honor Los Angeles politicians from that era, e.g., Woodman, Woodley, Topham.) Langdon was born and raised in Whitewater, WI. He earned his DDS at the University of Iowa in 1892 and set up practice in Oxford Junction, IA, where in 1895 he married Rena Carter (1875-1962). Unidentified health issues caused Langdon to bring Rena and their kids to Los Angeles in 1900. One year later, he obtained another dental degree at USC. Those health issues forced Langdon to close his L.A. practice in 1909 and then, after a couple of years dabbling in mining, he rather inexplicably (to me) decided to run for City Council in 1911 – and won. He wound up serving five terms until retiring in 1923.
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