Joseph Jensen Papers, 1908-1972

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Summary

Creators:
Jensen, Joseph, 1886-1974
Abstract:
Joseph Jensen (1886-1974) was a petroleum engineer and geologist for the Tidewater Oil Company and predecessors (1917-55). In 1927, he was appointed to the Water and Power Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and personally participated in the discovery and development of several oil fields in Los Angeles. He later served as chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (1949-70). The collection consists of correspondence, speeches, papers, publications, and personal material of Joseph Jensen, mining engineer and chairman of Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District, relating to petroleum development in Los Angeles and water resources in California.
Extent:
20 boxes (10 linear ft.)
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of correspondence, speeches, papers, publications, and personal material of Joseph Jensen, mining engineer and chairman of Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District, relating to petroleum development in Los Angeles and water resources in California. Includes correspondence with Mormon and political leaders in Utah, papers relating to the Canoga Citrus Growers Association, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and correspondence with Los Angeles mayors from Fletcher Bowron to Sam Yorty.

Expanded Scope and Content Note

Joseph Jensen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1886. He received mining engineering degrees from the University of Utah, the Royal School of Mines, Freiberg, Germany, and Columbia University. He was employed by Tidewater Oil Company and its predecessors as a petroleum engineer and geologist from 1917-1955 and participated in the development of the petroleum industry in Los Angeles.

In 1927 Jensen was appointed to the Water and Power Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and began an involvement with water resources in southern California which culminated in his tenure as the chairman of the Metropolitan Water District from 1949-1970, a period of intense activity in California water development.

This collection is especially rich in materials relating to the petroleum industry in Los Angeles from 1917-1940. Jensen personally participated in the discovery and development of several oil fields in Los Angeles and wrote numerous articles on the oil fields and the methods used in those early days of the petroleum industry in California.

Also of interest in the collection is correspondence with Mormon and political leaders in Utah, papers relating to the Canoga Citrus Growers Association, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and correspondence with mayors of Los Angeles from Fletcher Bowron to Sam Yorty.

There is little Primary material relevant to Jensen's involvement with the Metropolitan Water District. Most of the material consists of statements distributed at press conference and various publications relating to the MWD.

The arrangement of the collection has generally followed that of Jensen's papers as he kept them. Exceptions to this are explained in the body of the register.

Biographical / historical:

Jensen was born in 1886 in Salt Lake City, Utah; received mining engineering degrees from the University of Utah, the Royal School of Mines, Freiberg (Germany), and Columbia University; worked at Tidewater Oil Company and predecessors as a petroleum engineer and geologist, 1917-55; appointed to Water and Power Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in 1927; personally participated in the discovery and development of several oil fields in Los Angeles and wrote articles on those fields and methods used by the industry; served as chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California from 1949-70.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Joseph Jensen, 1967 1973. Gift of John Jensen, 1974.
Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series

  • Biographical material (Box 1).
  • Alphabetical correspondence and papers (Boxes 1-16).
  • Chronological correspondence (Box 16).
  • Speeches and publications (Boxes 17-18).
  • Metropolitan Water District (Box 19).
  • Personal material (Box 19).
  • Offprints, etc. of publications by Joseph Jensen (Box 20).

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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