Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Related Collections
System of Arrangement
Processing Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Contents
Bibliography
Title: R. W. Waterman papers
Date: 1886-1924, undated
Collection Identifier: MS
4128
Creator:
Waterman, R. W. (Robert Whitney),
1826-1891.
Extent:
5 boxes
(2.7 linear feet)
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105-4014
(415) 357-1848
reference@calhist.org
URL: http://californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Location of Materials: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English.
Abstract: Consists of the papers of R. W. Waterman,
including ephemera and women’s suffrage newspapers. Materials date from the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Includes ephemera related to fraternal
organizations and clubs within California. The types of ephemera in the collection
include: invitations, programs, tickets, dance cards, menus, business cards, and
newspaper clippings. Also includes women's suffrage newspapers collected after
Waterman's death.
Access
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North
Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the
copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original
materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], R. W. Waterman papers, MS 4128, California Historical
Society.
Related Collections
Waterman, Robert Whitney, MS 2263
Waterman scrapbook, MS 5005
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series: 1) Correspondence and real estate records;
2) Ephemera; 3) Newspapers and newspaper clippings; and 4) Official
proclamations.
Processing Information
Processed by Tierney Haupt in 2011.
Biographical Information
Robert Whitney Waterman was born in Fairfield, New York, on December 15, 1826, and,
as a boy, moved to Illinois with his older brothers after their father’s death. He
worked as a storekeeper and farmer there. After hearing of gold, Waterman traveled
to California in 1850 to try mining but was unsuccessful and returned to Illinois
two years later. In Wilmington, Illinois, he became highly involved in the
Republican Party and, in 1856, he was one of the state’s two delegates to the
Republican National Convention. The other was Abraham Lincoln. In 1873, Waterman
moved to California with his family, eventually settling in San Bernardino. Waterman
became extremely successful in the mining industry and also owned large tracts of
land. In 1886 he ran on the Republican ticket for the office of lieutenant governor
and was elected along with a Democratic governor. Upon the governor’s death in
September 1887, Waterman assumed the office and held it until January of 1891. In
failing health, he died of pneumonia on April 12, 1891.
Scope and Contents
Consists of papers from R. W. Waterman, including ephemera, newspapers and clippings,
correspondence, and real estate records. Types of ephemera include business cards,
invitations, dance cards, menus, programs, tickets, and brochures. Some of these
pertain to clubs and fraternal organizations in California, including the Native
Sons of the Golden West, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Elks. Much of the
ephemera dates from Waterman’s time as lieutenant governor and governor of
California (1886-1891).
The R. W. Waterman papers also include a significant collection of women’s suffrage
newspapers, dated from 1911-1913, primarily consisting of
The
Woman’s Journal and Suffrage News
, but also including
The Woman Citizen and the
In
Woman’s World
section of the
San Francisco
Call
. These newspapers were collected after Waterman's death.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Business cards.
Clippings.
Clubs--California.
Dance cards.
Ephemera
Fraternal organizations--California.
Invitations.
Menus.
Newspapers.
Programs.
Tickets.
Women--Suffrage--California.
Waterman, R. W. (Robert Whitney),
1826-1891.
Bibliography
Sources consulted for biographical note:
"Ex-Gov. Waterman,"
The Morning Call, 13 April
1891.
"Governor's Gallery," State of California,
http://governors.library.ca.gov/17-Waterman.html, retrieved 27 June 2011.
"Waterman Dead,"
San Francisco Chronicle, 13
April 1891.