Former House member Robert E. Badham dies

The longtime Balboa Island resident served as state assemblyman and later became a congressman.Former Congressman and state Assemblyman Robert E. Badham died Friday at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian after suffering a heart attack. He was 76.

The longtime Newport Beach resident served as a California assemblyman from 1963 to 1977 and then as U.S. congressman from 1977 to 1989. He was succeeded in the House by Chris Cox.

Badham was also a member of the civil service board, with his term set to expire in 2006.

Although he was seen by the public as a fiscal conservative, he was also well known for being environmentally conscious and wrote many bills to defend and protecting natural resources and marine life.

One piece of Badham legislation focused on protecting Southern California tide pools.

For his 70th birthday, his daughter Phyllis Alzamora arranged to have a section of the beach at Little Corona named after him -- the Robert E. Badham State Marine Park.

“He was the one who had established legislation to protect those tide pools,” Alzamora said. “It’s another way for people to know how much he cared about Southern California.”

Former state Assemblyman Gil Ferguson said Badham was loyal to his community.

“He was a very nice man. I think that’s one way of describing him because he was very friendly, very outgoing, never seemed to be angry or bitter about politics, which often occurs,” Ferguson said.

“He was what we call in politics a happy warrior -- he took his job seriously, but he didn’t take being a Congressman as being the most important thing in the whole world or think of himself as a big shot.”

His wife of almost 35 years, Anne Badham, said he was a caring husband and loving father to their five children.

Alzamora followed in her father’s footsteps, studying political science and government relations.After retiring from politics, Badham wanted to take part in city government, and he secured a spot on the city’s civil service board.

Badham loved water and boating. He also enjoyed planes, and while he was in Congress he served on the House Armed Services Committee.

He was a music fan. He played the tuba and the trumpet and performed with a local group called Wamie’s Band. Beethoven was his favorite composer, and he instilled an appreciation for classical music in all of his children at a very early age, Bill Badham said.

Robert Badham is survived by his wife, Anne; daughters Phyllis, Sharron Badham and Jennifer Stewart; sons Bill and Robert E. Badham Jr.; and 11 grandchildren.

Services were held Wednesday at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Corona del Mar. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hoag Hospital in Robert E. Badham’s name.

-- Alicia Robinson contributed to this report