American-Hawaiian Steamship Company records, 1901-1975, bulk 1901-1953

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Summary

Creators:
American-Hawaiian Steamship Company
Abstract:
The collection consists of the business records of the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company.
Extent:
1.66 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. American-Hawaiian Steamship Company records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of business records related to the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, including circular letters to masters, reports on finances and operations, information on construction of ships, sale of ships, and the final end of service in 1953. Persons represented in the collection include: Dearborn Clark, John E. Cushing, Edward P. Farley, Lewis Abbot Lapham, Roger Dearborn Lapham, and Walter S. McPherson.

Biographical / historical:

The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 by George S. Dearborn and his brother-in-law, Lewis Henry Lapham in New York City. The company grew to own the largest single fleet of freighters under the American flag in the trade between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the Territory of Hawaii. It was a pioneer in the building of large modern American steam freighters, in introducing oil-fired boilers, in opening the steamer-railroad route across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and in the early commercial transits of the Panama Canal. By 1930 the company operated over 50 ships and in World War II these ships were called into government service. After the war, the bulk of the company's fleet was dispersed and because of growing operating costs, intercoastal service was suspended in 1953.

Acquisition information:
Gift of John Kemble, December 1982.
Custodial history:

These records were selected for marine historian Dr. John Kemble by Lewis Abbot Lapham, president of the company from 1947 to 1953 and by Thomas G. Plant, operating manager from 1923 until his retirement in 1948, from among their own papers.

Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged alphabetically by form and genre as well as topic.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. American-Hawaiian Steamship Company records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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