Papers belonging to Henry William O'Melveny, founder of the Los Angeles law firm that would become O'Melveny and Myers.

Henry William O'Melveny (1859-1941) was born in Illinois; when he was 10 years old, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1879. For two years he served as Deputy District Attorney and in 1885 he founded the firm Graves and O'Melveny with Jackson A. Graves. The firm would undergo a total of nine name changes, always including the name O'Melveny, before becoming O'Melveny and Myers in 1939. O'Melveny held several civic positions including President of the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission and from 1908 to 1910, and he was also a member of the Los Angeles Public Library Board. He was President of the Dominguez Water Company and Vice-President of the Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank. O'Melveny married Marie Antoinette Schilling in 1887; they had three children, Stuart, Donald, and John. In 2000, O'Melveny and Myers was the third largest law firm in Los Angeles and are now considered the oldest firm in the city.

58 Linear Feet (53 boxes, 52 volumes, 4 rolls, 2 objects)

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