This collection contains volumes of Jerry MacMullen’s weekly column, “The Southwest Corner,” published in the San Diego Union.

Gerald (“Jerry”) F. MacMullen was born in 1898 in San Francisco. His family moved to San Diego in 1899 and he grew up in the city, only leaving to attend college at UC Berkeley. He returned to San Diego in 1921 where he established his career as a newspaperman, author, historian and artist. MacMullen first worked at the Evening Tribune, transferring to the San Diego Union in 1928 where he worked as a reporter until the beginning of World War II. He joined the U.S. Navy, serving as a commander for Naval Intelligence for four years until the close of the war, at which time he returned to newspaper work in December of 1945. A long-time member of the Maritime Research Society, MacMullen served as its president in 1948. He also published several books including Paddle Wheel Days in California, as well as two books he co-wrote with Jack McNairn, Ships of the Redwood Coast and Star of India: Log of an Iron Ship. MacMullen played an active role in the restoration of the Star of India. He served as the director of the Serra Historical Museum in Presidio Park for ten years, between 1956 and 1966. It was during this same period that MacMullen began writing a weekly column for the Union called “The Southwest Corner,” which he continued to write into the mid-1970s. Published in the Sunday edition, his articles presented historical sketches related to the history of San Diego. MacMullen was married to Roberta MacMullen and resided in Coronado until his death in 1981.

1.5 Linear feet (3 boxes)

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

This collection is open for research.