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Hall (Peirson M.) Papers
mssHall
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Table of contents
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.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
For more information, contact Reader Services.
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]. Peirson M. Hall Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Gift of Suzanne Christian on November 11, 1994.
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.
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.
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