Antonio Villaraigosa was elected mayor of Los Angeles by an 18 percent margin over incumbent James Hahn on Tuesday. That made Villaraigosa the first Hispanic mayor of the City of Angels in 133 years.

Villaraigosa received 59 percent of the vote while the incumbent received support from a mere 41 percent of those casting ballots. Villaraigosa ran on a platform that he alone could unite the Los Angeles's various ethnic groups and make the city work.

The new mayor has an interesting background. He dropped out of high school before turning his life around and eventually getting a law degree. The Democrat had been defeated by Hahn four years ago but Hahn's administration had been plagued by accusations of corruption during the past four years.

During his victory speech, Villaraigosa told supporters, 'I will never forget where I came from, and I will always believe in the people of Los Angeles.'

Cristobal Aguila was the last Hispanic-American elected mayor of Los Angeles. That was back in 1872. The population of Los Angeles in 1872 was approximately 5,000 people.