Sherman Otis Houghton papers, 1831-1914, bulk 1860-1900

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Summary

Creators:
Houghton, Sherman Otis, 1828-1914
Abstract:
Papers belonging to California lawyer and politician Sherman Otis Houghton.
Extent:
4 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sherman Otis Houghton papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists primarily of correspondence regarding the publication of History of the Donner Party by Charles Fayette McGlashan, 1879. Persons represented in the collection by three or more pieces include: Tamsen Donner, Richard C. Kerens, and Charles Fayette McGlashan. There are also two letters from Jessie Benton Frémont to Eliza Poor Donner Houghton, a petition written to President Benjamin Harrison recommending Sherman Houghton for the office of Judge of the U.S. Circuit Court, Ninth District, and a copy of "The California Regiment of 1847" by Albert Gallatin Brackett. There are also nine certificates belonging to Sherman Houghton for various military and political achievements.

Biographical / historical:

Sherman Otis Houghton, a California lawyer and politician, was born in New York and came to California with the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers in 1847. He settled in San Jose and became mayor in 1853. He was admitted to the bar in 1857. He married two survivors of the Donner Party. In 1859 he married Mary Donner, and in 1861, after her death, he married her cousin Eliza Poor Donner; both of their parents died during the crossing of the Sierra Nevada in 1846. From 1871 to 1873 he represented California in the National House of Representatives. Houghton died in Los Angeles in August 1914.

Acquisition information:
Purchased and gift from Eliza P. Houghton, April 1935 and December 1937.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2021, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

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]. Sherman Otis Houghton papers, 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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