Ben Yellen papers, 1965-1974

Ben Yellen (1907-1994) was a physician and political activist based in Brawley, California. During the Great Depression, Yellen worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps as a physician and served as an Army doctor. Upon settling in Brawley, California after WWII where he also established a medical practice, Yellen embarked upon a long legal battle against the large-scale growers in the region who, as he saw it, were taking advantage of Mexican migrant workers for their medical insurance benefits. His actions in this political arena led to his expulsion from the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 and subsequent strained relationships with hospitals for the rest of his medical career. In 1961, Yellen shifted his focus from migrant workers to the enforcement of the Reclamation Law of 1902 on big growers. Cases that came out of Yellen’s crusade were the United States v. the Imperial Irrigation District and Bryant v. Yellen.

Throughout the 1960s and the following three decades, Yellen ran for every political office that he could on his platform aimed at limiting the power of big growers. In 1964, he won a single term as a Brawley city councilman.

In 1983, Yellen lost his medical license in the aftermath of a malpractice suit against him for the death of a toddler. He spent the rest of his life trying to regain his license, ultimately succeeding in 1987 but on an extremely limited basis. Yellen died in 1994 after filing one last lawsuit in 1993 that focused on stopping the flow of illegal Mexican immigrants.