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Hall (Peirson M.) Papers
mssHall  
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Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Provenance
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement

  • Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library
    Title: Peirson M. Hall Papers
    Identifier/Call Number: mssHall
    Physical Description: 37.97 Linear Feet (53 boxes, 89 volumes and 4 oversize folders)
    Date (inclusive): 1908-1979
    Abstract: This collection contains the personal and professional papers of California judge Peirson M. Hall (1894-1979).
    Language of Material: English.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Publication Rights

    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]. Peirson M. Hall Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Gift of Suzanne Christian on November 11, 1994.

    Biographical Note

    Peirson Mitchell Hall was an American judge based in Los Angeles, California. He was born on July 31, 1894, in Armour, South Dakota. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1912, Hall and his mother lived in various places in Nebraska. To pursue a career in law, Hall enrolled in the University of Southern California night Law School and was admitted to the California Bar in 1916. He was in private practice from 1916 to 1924. In 1925 Hall was elected to the Los Angeles City Council and served until 1929. During his tenure in the City Council Hall served as chairman of the Water and Power Committee, a body that eventually formed the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in 1928. Councilman Hall also was instrumental in the city's acquisition of Mines Field, the site of the future Los Angeles International Airport. In 1929, Hall ran unsuccessfully for Los Angeles City Attorney. In 1933 President Roosevelt appointed Hall as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, in recognition of his services to the Democratic Party. As a U.S. Attorney, Hall was considered one of the top federal prosecutors in the country for his efficiency in handling cases. In 1937 Hall was denied reappointment as U.S. Attorney, an unpopular act largely influenced by U.S. Senator William G. McAdoo, of California. In the following year Hall prepared to challenge McAdoo for the Senate seat but instead withdrew to join Sheridan Downey's Senate campaign in exchange for a promised federal judgeship. In 1939 Hall was appointed by California Governor Culbert Olson to the Superior Court, a judgeship he held until 1942. During his tenure on the Superior Court Hall also served as Head of the Selective Service System in Southern California. In 1942 Hall was appointed and assumed the office of U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of California. He served as Chief Judge from 1959-1964. He was reassigned to Central District in 1966 and assumed senior status in 1968, a post he retained until his death in 1979. Hall was known in the legal community for his expertise in law concerning water rights, patents, and especially aviation, an area in which he heard many lawsuits concerning air disasters and their multi-jurisdictional intricacies. In addition, Hall was chairman of the Uniform Air Crash Legislation Committee of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in the late 1970s. Hall was also a member of the U.S. Reparations Mission to Japan following World War II. He has two daughters from his third marriage to Gertrude Mary Hall.

    Scope and Content

    This collection contains the personal and professional papers of California judge Peirson M. Hall (1894-1979).
    The Correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera are organized by genre, subject, and/or original order. The contents include bills (legislative records), biographies, briefs, correspondence, divorce records, genealogical tables, memorandums, newspaper clippings, notes, petitions, photos, proceedings, reports, speeches, subject files, and writings. The subject files include the Uniform Air Crash Legislation Committee, Warsaw Convention, Rank v. Krug, Pan Am Flight 806, Turkish Airlines Flight 981, and Zaibatsu.
    Oversize items are organized by genre. They include audiocassettes, law notes, legal opinions, newspapers, photos, posters, reports, and scrapbooks. The audiocassettes contain recordings of Judge Hall's oral history on Mines Field. The scrapbooks consist of a large amount of newspaper clippings concerning Judge Hall's early political career.
    Hall's books are arranged by authors' last names. Please contact the Reader Services of the Huntington Library for the list of books.

    Arrangement

    Organized into three series: 1) Correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera; 2) Oversized items; 3) Books.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Aeronautics -- Law and legislation -- United States
    Aircraft accidents -- American Samoa
    Aircraft accidents -- France.
    Airplanes, Military -- Accidents -- United States
    Airspace (Law)--United States
    Business and politics --Japan.
    Business tax
    California -- History -- 20th Century -- Sources
    Chain stores -- United States
    Compensation (Law)--United States
    Conflict of laws -- Liability for aircraft accidents -- United States
    Court decisions and opinions.
    Dams -- California -- Saint Francis Dam -- 1920-1930.
    Groundwater -- California -- San Joaquin Valley.
    Hotels -- Nevada -- Las Vegas
    Industrial concentration -- Japan.
    Japan --Economic conditions --1918-1945.
    Judges -- California -- Archives
    Judges -- Selection and appointment -- United States
    Judges -- United States -- Archives
    Legal opinions -- United States
    Liability for aircraft accidents -- United States
    Los Angeles International Airport -- History
    Naturalization -- United States
    Pan American Flight 806 Crash, American Samoa, 1974
    Patents -- United States
    Postwar reconstruction -- Japan.
    San Joaquin River (Calif.) -- Water rights.
    Trial practice --United States
    Trusts, Industrial --Japan.
    Warsaw Convention (1929)
    Water rights -- California -- San Joaquin Valley.
    World War, 1939-1945 --Reparations.
    California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
    Los Angeles (Calif.)
    Letters (correspondence)--United States
    Personal papers -- United States -- 20th century
    Professional papers -- United States -- 20th century
    Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901