The Muriel and Edmund O'Brien Collection includes photographs, documents, and ephemera from Muriel O'Brien and her husband, Edmund O'Brien. Muriel O'Brien was a prominent elected city official and civic volunteer in Claremont who was active in local politics.

Muriel Faith O’Brien (1922-2018) was an elected city official and civic volunteer. Born in Swaffham Prior, Cambridge, England, she attended the Royal Academy of Music and the Meteorology College of London. However, in 1939 her academic career was put on hold with the onset of World War II. She initially volunteered in the Royal Women’s Land Army and later joined the Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Air Force, serving as a radar operator and technician. During World War II, she met her husband, Edmond Emmett O’Brien, himself a decorated veteran of the 8th Air Force. After World War II, Mrs. O’Brien moved with her husband to his native Southern California and became a naturalized American citizen on January 26, 1949. Mrs. O’Brien soon became deeply involved in local politics. Ed O'Brien would go into law enforcement and later become a lawyer and judge. Muriel served as president of the Huntington Park Democratic Club from 1952-1953; campaign chair for Adlai Stevenson for President in 1952 and 1956; delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, County, in 1960; campaign secretary for Frank G. Bonelli, a candidate for California’s 52nd Assembly District; and campaign chair for Edmund G. “Pat” Brown for attorney general and later for his campaign for governor of California. In Claremont, Mrs. O’Brien was appointed to the San Gabriel Water Quality Commission. There she served as vice-chair and treasurer. She also served on many boards of directors and committees in Claremont, including chairing Claremont’s Police Commission, the Community Services Commission, the Claremont Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Ceramic Art.

2.75 linear feet (5 boxes); containing photographs, documents, and ephemera

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