Mooney (Thomas J.) legal documents and papers, bulk 1889-1947 (bulk 1916-1935)

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Summary

Title:
Thomas J. Mooney legal documents and papers
Dates:
bulk 1889-1947 (bulk 1916-1935)
Creators:
Thomas J. Mooney.
Abstract:
Collection of materials relating to the prosecution and eventual gubernatorial pardon of Thomas J. Mooney, a labor activist who was convicted of murder in relation to a bombing at the San Francisco Preparedness Day Parade on July 22, 1916. Along with his bombing co-defendant, Warren K. Billings, Mooney served 22 years in prison at San Quentin, California, despite subsequent allegations of perjury and false testimony by key prosecutorial witnesses and even a letter of support from Mooney's original trial judge. The collection contains correspondence and ephemera, publicity posters, and bound volumes of legal documents relating to legal proceedings against Thomas J. Mooney, Warren K. Billings, and Frank C. Oxman.
Extent:
10 boxes (5 linear feet) 1 oversized box. 1 map folder.
Language:
Finding aid is written in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Thomas J. Mooney legal documents and papers (Collection 224). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of bound volumes of legal documents and transcripts relating to: Thomas Mooney's trial for murder in San Francisco's Superior Court, the perjury trial of prosecution witness Frank C. Oxman, Mooney's petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus submitted to the California Supreme Court, materials in support of Mooney's petition for gubernatorial pardon, and bound volumes of legal documents relating to The People vs. Warren K. Billings, a co-defendant whose case was closely intertwined with Mooney. There is also a wealth of ephemera consisting of pamphlets, booklets, and posters produced by Mooney's Defense Committee for the purpose of publicizing Mooney's case. The bulk of the collection's materials range from 1916-1935.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas J. Mooney (1882-1942) was a labor activist convicted of murder for a bombing that occurred at the San Francisco Preparedness Day Parade on July 22, 1916. The bombing killed ten and injured forty parade bystanders and Mooney swore that he had not committed the crime. The parade was intended as a planned demonstration of the country's war-readiness during World War I, however, there was a strong undercurrent of isolationism and anti-militarism, particularly by certain elements of labor and from pacifist groups. Pamphlets circulated in the city threatening violence and counter-demonstrations in the days leading up to the parade.

By most accounts, the trial of Mooney was mired in anti-socialist and anti-anarchist hysteria. Mooney and co-defendant Warren K. Billings were both convicted of murder. Allegations that certain key witnesses had perjured themselves or had been coerced to testify against Mooney later arose. Eventually the death sentences of Thomas Mooney and Warren Billings were commuted to life in prison in 1918 following a commission of inquiry established by President Woodrow Wilson. After 22 years of agitation and litigation, Mooney successfully secured a pardon from Governor Culbert Olson and was released from San Quentin in 1939. Thomas Mooney died on March 6, 1942.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Thomas J. Mooney to the Bancroft Library, then transferred to UCLA in 1952. Gift of Guy Endore to UCLA, 1952.
Custodial history:

A portion of this collection was transferred from the Bancroft Library in July, 1952, and consists of duplicate volumes of legal documents that can also be found at that library. Another part of the collection was donated by Guy Endore to UCLA on October 24, 1952 and consists of manuscripts, reports, and papers relating to Thomas Mooney.

Processing information:

Processed by Erika Pérez in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli, Summer 2008.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  • Boxes 1 - 2: Correspondence and ephemera organized alphabetically (pamphlets, booklets, periodicals, songs, press releases, etc.).
  • Boxes 3 - 8: Bound volumes roughly organized chronologically containing legal documents and transcripts relating to People vs. Mooney, People vs. Billings, and People vs. Oxman
  • Boxes 9 - 10: Oversized box (9) and map folder (10) containing ephemera such as publicity posters and reproductions of newspaper articles
  • Box 11: Additional, non-oversized ephemera (pamphlets, fliers, programs, forms)
  • Boxes 11-12: Additional bound volumes and pamphlets, mostly concerning People vs. Mooney and Mooney's petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Erika Pérez in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli, Summer 2008; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
Date Prepared:
© 2009
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from database containing container list structure and data, encoding added via MS Access and Notetab Pro; Date of source: Summer 2008; frontmatter gathered MARC Record. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Caroline Cubé.

Access and use

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Thomas J. Mooney legal documents and papers (Collection 224). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website