Collection Guide
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O'Melveny (Henry William) Collection
mssOM
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Henry William O'Melveny collection
Creator:
O'Melveny, H. W. (Henry William), 1859-1941
Identifier/Call Number: mssOM
Physical Description:
58 Linear Feet
(53 boxes, 52 volumes, 4 rolls, 2 objects)
Date (inclusive): 1885-1940
Abstract: Papers belonging to Henry William O'Melveny, founder of the Los Angeles law firm that would become O'Melveny and Myers.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Henry William O'Melveny collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of John O'Melveny, 1954.
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.
A collection of material related to Henry William O'Melveny and his various law firms. The collection includes correspondence,
business files, financial documents, business volumes and journals. Significant persons and businesses in the collection include,
among others: Arcadia Bandini; the Dominguez family; Jackson A. Graves; American National Red Cross; Graves, O'Melveny and
Shankland; Miller and Lux; O'Melveny and Myers, and Pacific Light and Power Corporation (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssOM 1-1827.
The Huntington Library also holds the papers of O'Melveny's first partner Jackson A. Graves (mssGraves).
Arranged in the following series: Correspondence; Business Files; Journals; Miscellaneous.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Hydroelectric power-plants -- California
Land titles -- California -- Los Angeles County
Law firms -- California -- Los Angeles
Lawyers -- California -- Correspondence
Lawyers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Real property -- California -- Los Angeles
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Business papers -- California -- 19th century
Business papers -- California -- 20th century
Journals (accounts) -- California -- 19th century
Journals (accounts) -- California -- 20th century
Legal files -- California -- 19th century
Legal files -- California -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 20th century
Bandini, Arcadia, 1825-1912
Dominguez family
Graves, J. A. (Jackson Alpheus), 1852-1933
American National Red Cross
Graves, O'Melveny and Shankland
Miller & Lux
O'Melveny & Myers
Pacific Light and Power Corporation (Los Angeles, Calif.)