Walter Lum Papers, bulk 1910-1930

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Summary

Extent:
5.25 inches Linear Feet 1 Hollinger box
Language:
English , Chinese .
Preferred citation:

Walter Lum Papers, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

Contains correspondence, Chinese Times newspaper clippings, pamphlets, telegrams, yearbooks, receipts, and payroll records. Materials related to Immigration Act of 1924, China War Relief Association of America, and Chinese American Citizens Alliance.

Biographical / historical:

Walter Uriah Lum (1882–1961) was a civil rights activist, educator, and journalist born in San Francisco. In 1904, Walter Lum, together with Joseph Lum and Ng Gunn, organized the Native Sons of the Golden State to speak out against the Chinese Exclusion Act and gain support from the San Francisco community towards Chinese and Chinese Americans. Lum also sought to block the Caminette Bill, which proposed denying the power to vote to any Chinese American whose father was not American-born, and to repeal the Expatriation Act of 1907, though both efforts failed. In 1912, he became a reporter, translator, and editor for the Young China newspaper, a newspaper publisher for the Chinese Nationalist Party in the United States. Lum further served as the vice president and managing director of the China Mail Steamship Line, which conducted envoys between the United States and China. In 1941, Lum started an experimental school that provided study courses for Chinese Americans and taught Chinese to American-born students. Lum died in 1961 in San Francisco.

Acquisition information:
Collection was donated by Kwan-ying Tang Tai in 2009.
Processing information:

Community archivist, Daniela Reyes, and Mellon fellow Riona Tsai processed this collection in October of 2024.

Preservation concerns: Rusty paper clips and pins were removed. Payroll documents were removed from plastic bags and placed inside archival folders. Age of documents range between 1910s to the mid 1950s, so papers must be handled with care.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to researchers and to the public for access. Please contact the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California for more information.

Preferred citation:

Walter Lum Papers, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.

Location of this collection:
411 and 415 Bernard Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012, US
Contact:
(323) 222-0856
info@chssc.org
Website