Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Thom (Cameron Erskine) Papers
mssThom
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Cameron Erskine Thom papers
Creator:
Thom, Cameron Erskine, 1825-1915
Identifier/Call Number: mssThom
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1785-1923
Date (bulk): 1863-1923
Abstract: Papers belonging to Los Angeles politician and mayor Cameron Erskine Thom.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Cameron Erskine Thom papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Rowena Thom Rathbone, October 1981.
Cameron Erskine Thom (1825-1915) was Los Angeles County district attorney, mayor of Los Angeles, from 1882 to 1884, and a
California state senator. Born in Culpeper County, Virginia, Thom moved to California in 1849, and briefly mined before opening
a law office in Sacramento. He was appointed agent for the U.S. Land Commission but later moved to Los Angeles, where he became
Los Angeles city attorney and Los Angeles County district attorney. During the American Civil War, he returned to Virginia
to become an officer for the Confederacy and was wounded at Gettysburg. After the war he returned to Los Angeles to reopen
his law office, renew his political career, and invest in real estate in Southern California. He helped found the city of
Glendale, California in 1887.
The collection consists of personal letters, reminiscences, biographical sketches, and photographs related to the life, family,
and career of Cameron Erskine Thom. Subject matter represented in the collection includes: the Confederate States of America,
Los Angeles history and politics, and the Thom family. The collection also contains one facsimile copy of a letter from 1785.
Processed by Virginia Rust in November 1981. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 47951-47981, mssFAC 1017-1019.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the
Internet Archive.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Lawyers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Legislators -- California -- Archives
Mayors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Confederate States of America
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- Sources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Politics and Government
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Photographs -- United States
Reminiscences -- United States