Lotus H. Loudon Collection, 1931-1941

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Summary

Creators:
Loudon, Lotus H.
Abstract:
Lotus H. Loudon was a newspaper publisher and member of the board of directors and paroles of the California Institution for Women at Tehachapi in the 1930s and early 1940s. The Lotus H. Loudon Collection documents his work in this capacity and the work of parole officer Emily D. Latham through correspondence and reports.
Extent:
0.42 linear feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Lotus H. Loudon Collection includes correspondence, notes, reports, and other records documenting the operation of the California Institution for Women at Tehachapi during Loudon's term as a member of the board of directors and paroles. The correspondence is primarily related to Loudon's appointment to the position and the advocacy of friends and family on behalf of specific women seeking parole. Operational records include those that relate to personnel, such as applications for work, prison statistics, budget reports, and institutional rules. These document how much it cost to operate Tehachapi, who was employed there, and rules for those paroled. Parole reports were primarily created by State Parole Officer Emily D. Latham. Latham's practical assessments of paroled women's experiences provide insight into the motivations and contexts for women committing crimes in 1930s California, including economic and substance abuse factors. The collection also includes documentation of Latham's attendance at the National Parole Conference, and contemporary attitudes toward imprisonment, women in prison, and parole. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Biographical / historical:

Lotus H. Loudon was born in Salem, Indiana in 1892, but moved to Southern California when he was still a child. He grew up in Whittier and attended the University of Southern California. He got his start in the newspaper business as a printer on the Whittier News, then as a makeup printer at the Los Angeles Chronicle, before becoming business manager of an Ocean Park daily. Loudon established the Anaheim Bulletin after he and his wife Hazel Del Baker moved to Anaheim. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Institute for Women in December 1937. The prison originally opened in 1932 as the Women's Department at San Quentin, Tehachapi, and would later be referred to as Tehachapi Women's Prison. Loudon served for seven years on the parole board. He had two unsuccessful bids as the Republican party candidate for the 19th and 22nd congressional districts. In local politics, he was active on the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, serving as the president from 1930 to 1931, and was also involved in the Elks and Boy Scouts. He died of a heart attack in 1951.

Acquisition information:
Stanley and Jeanette Loudon, 07/25/2017
Processing information:

Mallory Furnier, 2019

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Documents

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
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