Senator Randolph Collier was elected to the State Legislature from 1938-1976 to represent Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, Trinity, Del Norte and Siskiyou counties. Although he was recognized as a leader in many fields of legislation, Collier gained statewide and national fame in the planning and financing of highways. He was the principal author of the Collier-Burns Act of 1947 which brought about the California Highway Plan. The state's highway system served as a model throughout the nation in that the state assumed responsibility for state highways in cities. Other improvements came with the Highway Act of 1953 which stepped up the California freeway program and the adoption of the California Freeway and Expressway System in 1959. His interest in ecological preservation introduced legislation to provide proper regulation of California's timberlands and protection for wild rivers. He worked with local authorities in providing parks and recreational facilities for the public. The naming of the Randolph Collier Tunnel through Oregon Mountain was a tribute to its principal advocate. It provided the first direct route from northwest Nevada to the Pacific Ocean. It also eliminated the route over the summit's 128 curves and hairpin switchbacks, and made the highway passable in snowy weather. Senate committees on which Collier had served include Governmental Efficiency, Finance, Revenue and Taxation, Insurance and Finance Institutions, and Transportation.
[Biographical information excerpted from the California State Archives]
[Biographical information excerpted from the California State Archives]
Senator Randolph Collier was elected to the State Legislature from 1938-1976 to represent Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, Trinity, Del Norte and Siskiyou counties. Although he was recognized as a leader in many fields of legislation, Collier gained statewide and national fame in the planning and financing of highways. He was the principal author of the Collier-Burns Act of 1947 which brought about the California Highway Plan. The state's highway system served as a model throughout the nation in that the state assumed responsibility for state highways in cities. Other improvements came with the Highway Act of 1953 which stepped up the California freeway program and the adoption of the California Freeway and Expressway System in 1959. His interest in ecological preservation introduced legislation to provide proper regulation of California's timberlands and protection for wild rivers. He worked with local authorities in providing parks and recreational facilities for the public. The naming of the Randolph Collier Tunnel through Oregon Mountain was a tribute to its principal advocate. It provided the first direct route from northwest Nevada to the Pacific Ocean. It also eliminated the route over the summit's 128 curves and hairpin switchbacks, and made the highway passable in snowy weather. Senate committees on which Collier had served include Governmental Efficiency, Finance, Revenue and Taxation, Insurance and Finance Institutions, and Transportation.
[Biographical information excerpted from the California State Archives]
[Biographical information excerpted from the California State Archives]
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