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Finding aid of the Dorothy C. Putnam and Lois Mercer
Papers
Coll2008-038
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Title: Dorothy C. Putnam and Lois Mercer
papers
Dates: 1914-1988
Collection number: Coll2008-038
Creator:
Putnam, Dorothy C., 1895-1991
Creator:
Mercer, Lois, 1894-1989
Collection Size: 1 archive carton + 1 archive box
+ 1 flat archive carton + 1 trophy. 2.5 linear feet.
Repository:
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Photographs, correspondence, typescripts,
newspaper clippings, a trophy and scrapbooks relating to Dorothy C. Putnam
(1895-1991) and her partner of 50 years, Lois Mercer (1894-1989), bookkeeper
for ONE, Inc. The majority of the materials document Putnam's life and family
from her adolescence as a horseback mail carrier in Oregon; her activities as
the first licensed female chauffeur in California; her wins in economy-run
driving races in the 1920s; and her service in the Women's Ambulance and
Transport Corps of California (W.A.T.C.C.) and U.S. Air Force during World War
II. Materials also document Lois Mercer's service in the U.S. Air Force during
World War II; her contribution to ONE, Inc., from 1953; Putnam and Mercer's
community activism; and their 50 years of life together in Los Angeles.
Languages: Languages represented in the
collection: English
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access
restrictions.
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Dorothy C. Putnam and Lois Mercer papers, Coll2008-038, ONE National Gay
and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.
Donation of Dorothy Putnam and Lois Mercer, date unknown.
Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama,
June 20, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded
by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission.
Dorothy "Dot" Crocker Putnam was born in Massachusetts on October 15,
1895, the daughter of Frank Wright Putnam and Elle Crocker Putnam. She is a
descendant of American Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam, and claimed to
be a cousin of Amelia Earhart (although the relationship may have been to
Earhart's husband, George Putnam). As a young woman, Putnam was a horseback
mail carrier in Oregon. She later moved to Los Angeles, where she developed an
interest in automobiles. In 1918, she became the first licensed female
chauffeur in California, her clients including Carole Lombard, Charlie Chaplin
and Clark Gable. In addition, she also won a number of driving contests in Los
Angeles during the 1920s. During World War II, she served in the Women's
Ambulance and Transport Corps of California (W.A.T.C.C.), and later the Air
Force, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. After retiring from the Air
Force, she became the first female senior truck driver for the Los Angeles
Sheriff's Department.
Lois Mercer was born in California on February 12, 1894. In 1928, she
moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as a bookkeeper for an insurance
company. In the 1930s, she met Dorothy Putnam, who was her partner for over 50
years. During World War II, Mercer, with Putnam, joined the W.A.T.C.C., and
later the Air Force, rising to the rank of Corporal. In 1953, Mercer became
bookkeeper at ONE, Inc., where she continued to work part-time until she
retired in 1986 at the age of 92.
Putnam and Mercer lived in Los Angeles throughout their 50-year
partnership. Lois Mercer died on January 6, 1989, Dorothy Putnam in March
1991.
Source: Dorothy C. Putnam and Lois Mercer Papers, Coll2008-038, ONE
National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection comprises scrapbooks, photographs, typescripts,
clippings, miscellaneous material and a trophy from Dorothy C. Putnam and Lois
Mercer. Each of the scrapbooks includes photographs, clippings, correspondence,
notes and miscellaneous typescripts documenting Putnam and Mercer's lives from
the 1910s through the mid-1980s. Materials document Putnam's ancestry; her
career as the first licensed female chauffeur and mechanic in California and
her subsequent service as an Air Force lieutenant; her participation in driving
contests; Mercer's contribution to ONE, Inc.; her involvement in the Republican
Party; their shared community activism; and their 50-year partnership, which
began in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Also included is a trophy Putnam won in the
Ladies Driving Contest organized by the Motor Car Dealers Association of Los
Angeles in 1922.
Note: Scrapbooks should be handled with care as the glue holding the
photographs to the pages has become brittle and many of the photographs are
loose.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Lesbians
Mercer, Lois, 1894-1989
ONE, Inc.
ONE Institute
Putnam, Dorothy C.,
1895-1991
United States. Air Force--Officers--Women
Women's Ambulance and Transport Corps
of California, Inc.
A VHS videotape of an interview by Dorr Legg with Lois Mercer and Lt.
Dorothy Putnam, April 27, 1986, is currently (June 2008) deposited with the
Outfest Legacy Project at the University of California at Los Angeles.