CALIFORNIA: Good Day for Goody

When Earl Warren boarded an airliner and took off for Washington this week, a whole political era in California went with him. The independent Warren, who had built his political power on bipartisan support, turned the governorship over to Goodwin Jess Knight, a regular, conservative, organization Republican. The new governor, a back-thumping, bouncing lawyer of 56 who has served seven years as lieutenant governor, could not hope to win the Democrats who supported Warren. But the day Warren departed was a good day for “Goody” Knight. It meant that he will be running for governor next year as the incumbent, which will give him at least a loping start.

While Knight was taking over as chief executive of the second most populous state, photographers were joyously demonstrating that he has at least some of the same political assets that Earl Warren had. Widower Knight has two lovely blonde daughters, Carolyn, 20, a student at the University of Southern California, and Marilyn, 26, who is Mrs. Robert Eaton, wife of a Los Angeles attorney. Californians were immediately intrigued by the prospect that one of the daughters will serve as father’s hostess and thus be the new first lady of California.