Description
The Muriel and Edmund O'Brien Collection includes photographs, documents, and ephemera from Muriel O'Brien and her husband,
Edmund O'Brien. Muriel O'Brien was a prominent elected city official and civic volunteer in Claremont who was active in local
politics.
Background
Muriel Faith O’Brien (1922-2018) was an elected city official and civic volunteer. Born in Swaffham Prior, Cambridge, England,
she attended the Royal Academy of Music and the Meteorology College of London. However, in 1939 her academic career was put
on hold with the onset of World War II. She initially volunteered in the Royal Women’s Land Army and later joined the Women’s
Auxiliary of the Royal Air Force, serving as a radar operator and technician. During World War II, she met her husband, Edmond
Emmett O’Brien, himself a decorated veteran of the 8th Air Force. After World War II, Mrs. O’Brien moved with her husband
to his native Southern California and became a naturalized American citizen on January 26, 1949. Mrs. O’Brien soon became
deeply involved in local politics. Ed O'Brien would go into law enforcement and later become a lawyer and judge. Muriel served
as president of the Huntington Park Democratic Club from 1952-1953; campaign chair for Adlai Stevenson for President in 1952
and 1956; delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, County, in 1960; campaign secretary for Frank G. Bonelli,
a candidate for California’s 52nd Assembly District; and campaign chair for Edmund G. “Pat” Brown for attorney general and
later for his campaign for governor of California. In Claremont, Mrs. O’Brien was appointed to the San Gabriel Water Quality
Commission. There she served as vice-chair and treasurer. She also served on many boards of directors and committees in Claremont,
including chairing Claremont’s Police Commission, the Community Services Commission, the Claremont Museum of Art, and the
American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Availability
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder (if applicable).