Inventory of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California Records
Processed by Sebastian Nelson
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: archivesweb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2007
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California Records
Collection number: R308
California State Archives
Office of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Sebastian Nelson
- Date Completed:
- January 2009
- Encoded by:
- Sebastian Nelson
© 2009 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California Records
Dates: 1959-1960
Collection number: R308
Creator:
Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission
Collection Size:
6 file folders
Repository:
California State Archives
Abstract: The Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California was established in 1959 to celebrate the life of President Abraham Lincoln.
The records of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission consist of 6 file folders of publications, commission and exhibit files
that cover the years 1959-1960.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California Records, R308.[series number], [box and folder
number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission Records according to state law.
Administrative History
On September 18, 1959, Chapter 1892 (Statutes of 1959) established the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California.
The Commission was to commemorate the life and accomplishments of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and to celebrate the one
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth. The Commission consisted of eleven members: Assemblyman Charles B. Garrigus
(chairman), Senator Nelson S. Dilworth (vice-chairman), Dr. William N. Davis, Jr. (secretary), Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown,
Sr., Lieutenant Governor Glenn M. Anderson, Assembly Speaker Ralph M. Brown, Attorney General Stanley Mosk, Senator Randolph
Collier, Senator Paul L. Byrne, Assemblyman Carl A. Britschgi, and Assemblyman George A. Wilson.
According to this legislation, the Commission was directed to prepare statewide commemorative programs with due considerations
to the activities of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission established by Congress (Public Law 85-262, 85th Congress) and
a private nonprofit educational organization called the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Association of California. The Commission
helped arrange for a proclamation to be issued by the Governor declaring the years 1959 and 1960 as a period of celebration
and observance of the anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The giving of medals and certificates was also authorized to recognize
those outstanding individuals and organizations that made significant contributions to the commemoration of Lincoln's life.
This legislation also directed the Commission to deposit any donated publications about Lincoln in any library or museum deemed
appropriate.
The Commission encouraged local organizations, governments, civic groups and members of the press to organize appropriate
programs, exhibits and publications to celebrate Lincoln's life. An exhibit on Lincoln was organized by the Commission and
held in the State Capitol Building. The Department of Education was also requested by the Commission to call for schools
to observe Lincoln's life in the January 1960 issue of California Schools. The use of music to celebrate Lincoln's life was
also advocated. Chairman Garrigus wrote the heads of the state colleges requesting that their various music departments organize
performances to "emphasize the cultural significance of the Lincoln tradition." The Commission also endorsed the Committee
to Encourage Music of Merit by Western Composers' offer of a Western Music Award for an original composition honoring Lincoln.
In addition, the Commission obtained a series of biographical radio scripts called the Abraham Lincoln Story from Broadcast
Music, Inc. of New York for use in California.
Scope and Content
The Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission of California records consist of six file folders of records created between 1959
and 1960. The records are organized into three series: commission files, exhibit files and publications. The commission
files provide insight into the workings of the Commission and its members. Some of the publications, such as Lincoln Still
Pleads: Dialogue Between a Communist and an American, attempt to place Lincoln's life and politics within the context of the
late 1950s. As such, these records might be useful to researchers interested in how Lincoln was viewed during the Cold War
in California. The correspondence of Mr. Justin Turner, Chairman of the Board of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Association
of California, in part relate to local historical organizations throughout California called Civil War Round Tables. Many
of Turner's letters to Commission members also explore the possibility of establishing a California Civil War Centennial Commission
(later established by Statutes of 1961, Chapter 12). Researchers interested in either Civil War Round Tables or the California
Civil War Centennial Commission may find these records helpful.
Additional Information
In the California State Archives' research room, there is a general information file containing information about and copies
of an Abraham Lincoln letter dated 1864 that is in the collection of the Archives. Records and photos of the 1959 Lincoln
exhibit organized by the Commission and a subsequent 1972 exhibit about the Presidential election of 1864 can be found in
the Institutional Archives-Exhibit Files (R206). Ask the reference archivist for more information.
Related Collections at the California State Archives
Civil War Centennial Commission.
Military Department.
Related Collections at Other Repositories
A scrapbook pertaining to the centennial celebrations held between 1908 and 1911 in honor of Lincoln's birth can be found
at the Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106. This scrapbook may be
useful for comparing and contrasting how different generations of Californians celebrated Lincoln's life.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Anniversaries, etc.
Brown, Edmund G. (Edmund Gerald), 1905-1996
Turner, Justin G.
ID R308.1, Box 1, Folders 1-2
Series 1
Commission Files
1959-1960
Physical Description: 2 file folders
Arrangement
There is no logical arrangement to this series; however, in order to preserve original order, no rearrangement has been imposed.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains Commission minutes of meetings, press releases, incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, Governor's
Proclamation, notes, newspaper articles and copies of the articles of incorporation of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Association
of California. These records illustrate the goals and activities of the Commission and its members. These activities and
goals include raising awareness about Lincoln, coordinating commemorative celebrations with Lincoln sesquicentennial commissions
in other states and the federal government, and seeking out potential donations of Lincoln memorabilia from members of the
public.
ID R308.2, Box 1, Folder 3
Series 2
Exhibit File
1959-1960
Physical Description: 1 file folder
Arrangement
There is no logical arrangement to this series; however, in order to preserve original order, no rearrangement has been imposed.
Scope and Content Note
This file includes correspondence relating to the Lincoln exhibit held in the State Capitol Building. This exhibit was organized
by the Commission and ran from November 24, 1959 to July 31, 1960. Commission members, most notably Dr. William N. Davis,
Jr., actively sought out exhibit materials from public collections at the State Archives and the State Library, as well as
from private collectors of Lincolniana. Other records about this exhibit can be found in the commission files, and include
correspondence, memoranda, press releases, newspaper articles, display captions and inventories.
ID R308.3, Box 1, Folders 4-6
Series 3
Publications
1959-1960
Physical Description: 3 file folders
Arrangement
There is no logical arrangement to this series; however, in order to preserve original order, no rearrangement has been imposed.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains publications related to different aspects of Lincoln's life, words and deeds including biographies, essays,
radio scripts, poetry, an educational study guide, a comic book and exhibit catalogs of Lincolniana, as well as a citation
for distinguished public service awarded to Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, Sr. by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Association
of California. The exhibit catalogs showcase the collection of Mr. Justin Turner and apparently shaped the Commission's own
Lincoln exhibit. Much of the correspondence that accompanied these publications when they were donated to the Commission
can be found in the commission files.