Descriptive Summary
Access
Access Restrictions
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography / Administrative History
Chronology
Chronology
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Stephens Family papers
Dates: 1896-1952
Collection number: MS 5
Collection Size:
.25 linear feet
(1 box + 1 oversized box)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Abstract: The Stephens Family Papers consists of photographs and
ephemera documenting Stephens Restaurant, Virginia's winning entry in a 1915 newspaper contest, and Virginia Stephens Coker's
achievements as a lawyer.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.
Access Restrictions
Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.
Publication Rights
Permission to publish from the Stephens Family Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Preferred Citation
Stephens Family papers, MS 5, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
Acquisition Information
No donor information available. Originally part of the Northern California
Center for Afro-American History and Life Collection.
Biography / Administrative History
William Stephens was born in 1870 in Accomack County, Virginia. He moved out
to California while still a child and attended school in Oakland and San
Francisco. After graduation, he completed coursework at Heald College before
taking a job with the Southern Pacific Railway in 1886. Beginning as a Sleeping
Car Porter, he worked his way up to a clerkship under H.E. Huntington, assistant
to the company's President.
In 1898, Stephens resigned from Southern Pacific and took a position with the
Crocker family, traveling with them throughout the United States, Canada, and
Mexico. Through these travels, Stephens learned about the hotel
and restaurant business. In 1901, he married Pauline Logan of California, a
granddaughter of Peter Burnett, the first governor of the State of California.
Pauline gave birth to one daughter, Virginia, on April 7, 1903. Due to his
daughter's health problems as a young girl, Stephens resigned from his post with
the Crockers and began working at an Oakland social club. He moved on from
this position in 1915 to manage the Club House at the Hotel Del Monte Golf and
Country Club in Monterey County.
Eventually Stephens opened his own restaurant in Oakland. Known as Stephens'
Restaurant, it grew from small quarters into a large establishment seating over 200 people, occupying three locations near
Lake Merritt. During the 1920s and 1930s, the restaurant enjoyed great success and was usually filled to capacity. Stephens
took great delight in employing African American high school and college students so they could earn money for their education.
On source implies that William died in 1932, but this information has not been verified.
Stephen's daughter, Virginia, won acclaim at the age of fourteen when
her name "Jewel City" was selected for the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition buildings in a competition sponsored by the San Francisco Call-Post.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science from the University of California at Berkeley
in 1924, she became the first African American woman to receive a law degree from University of California Berkeley's Boalt
School of Law in 1929. While at Berkeley, Virginia also helped Ida L. Jackson found Rho Chapter in
1921 and Alpha Nu Omega, a graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. These
were among the first Greek sororities for African American women west of
the Mississippi.
Virginia married attorney George Coker (1906-1970). The Cokers helped tutor
African American students for the State bar exams. After working in private
practice for ten years, Virginia received an appointment as Attorney in the State Office of the Legislature Council in Sacramento
in May, 1939. In this capacity, she helped with drafting and amending legislative bills, and worked under four different legislative
councils: Fred Wood, Ralph N. Kleps, Angus C. Morrison, and George Murphy. Upon her retirement in 1966, Virginia had attained
the position of Deputy of the Indexing Section. Virginia died in Sacramento on February 11, 1986.
Chronology
Significant events:
Chronology
1870 |
William Stephens born |
1901 |
William Stephens marries Pauline Logan |
1903 |
Virginia Stephens born, April 7 |
1915 |
Virginia's "Jewel City" entry wins San Francisco Call-Post
competition for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
|
1921 |
Virginia helps found Alpha Kappa Alpha Rho Chapter, the first
graduate chapter of AKA west of the Mississippi
|
1929 |
Virginia is the first African-American woman to graduate from
University of California at Berkeley Boalt School of Law, May 15
|
1929 |
Virginia becomes the African-American woman admitted to the
State Bar of California, October
|
1986 |
Virginia dies, February 11 |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Stephens Family Papers consist of photographs and ephemera documenting Stephens Restaurant, Virginia's winning entry in
a 1915 newspaper contest, and Virginia's achievements as a lawyer. Menus, tape receipts, and photographs from the restaurant
provide a glimpse into one of Oakland's busiest establishments. The papers also include a typescript draft of a letter William
wrote in 1931 regarding opposition to his purchase of a house in Oakland, an example of unfair housing practices common to
the era. Virginia's materials include the letter of congratulations she received upon winning the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition naming contest, middle school report cards, her law school graduation announcement, and several State bar membership
certificates.
Arrangement
I. Virginia Stephens Coker
II. William Stephens
III. Stephens Restaurant
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
African American business enterprises.
Minority women lawyers.
Oakland (Calif.)--History.