Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- John D. Weaver papers
- Dates:
- 1962-1989
- Creators:
- Weaver, John D. (John Downing), 1912-2002
- Abstract:
- Papers belonging to American journalist and historian John D. Weaver; chiefly dealing with American historian Ray A. Billington.
- Extent:
- 0.4 Linear Feet (1 box)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. John D. Weaver papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of the personal papers and memorabilia of John Downing Weaver. The contents of the collection chiefly relate to American historian Ray Allen Billington (1903-1981), including thirty-one letters from Billington to Weaver. In the letters, they discuss their work, coming publications, and their personal lives. There are also offprints of articles by Billington and copies of manuscripts by Billington and Weaver about Western American history and American historian Frederick Jackson Turner.
- Biographical / historical:
-
John Downing Weaver was born in Washington, D.C., in February 1912. He attended Georgetown University from 1928 to 1929, the College of William and Mary in 1932, and George Washington University in 1933. Weaver worked for the National Recovery Administration from 1933 to 1935. From 1935 to 1940 he was a book reviewer and copy editor at the Kansas City Star. In 1937, he married Harriet Sherwood Weaver, also a writer for the Kansas City Star, and in 1940, they moved to Los Angeles. Harriet Weaver became interested in effective brush clearance legislation after the Bel-Air fire in 1961; she served on the Los Angeles Countywide Citizen Planning Council from 1972 to 1979. She died in November 1988. John D. Weaver published many books, several about Los Angeles history including Los Angeles: The Enormous Village in 1980. He also wrote about the 1906 Black Dreyfus Affair in his 1997 book The Senator and the Sharecropper's Son: Exoneration of the Brownsville Soldiers. He died in December 2002.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of John D. Weaver, November 1989.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Harriet McLoone in 1989. In September 2025, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged alphabetically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-12 12:02:27 -0800 .
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]. John D. Weaver papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191