Biographical Note
Acquisition
Scope and Content
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Title: F. Oskar Martin papers
Collection number: 0311
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.1 Linear feet
7 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1891-1947
Language of Materials: Martin's business papers are mostly in English; a few reports from Colombia are in Spanish. His personal correspondence is
in German.
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of Frederick Oskar Martin, a German who moved to the United States in 1891 and worked
as a mining engineer and geologist for a variety of employers over the course of his career. He spent a year working on the
Panama Canal and explored the holdings of Union Oil of California in Panama and Colombia in the 1920s. His papers include
mining reports, correspondence with his fiancé and brother in the late 1890s, and scrapbooks of his travels in South and Central
America.
creator:
Martin, F. O., (Frederick Oskar), 1871-1951
Biographical Note
F. O. (Frederick Oskar) Martin was born in Mittweida, Germany in 1871. He came to the United States in 1891 after spending
several years at sea. Upon his arrival in the US, he worked as a mining engineer and geologist in the mines of Alaska, California,
Idaho, and Montana. He studied at George Washington University from 1900-02, worked for the US Departments of Agriculture
(1901-05) and Interior (1909-19), and also spent a year working on the Panama Canal. He married his wife, Agnes Elisabeth
Riese, in Missoula, Montana, in 1908. They had three daughters, Anna Elisabeth, Fritzi, and Margaret (who married Charles
Calvin Hamer).
After leaving the Department of the Interior, Martin worked for Union Oil of California as a geologist. His work for Union
Oil included exploring the company's holdings in Colombia and Panama. In 1927, Martin was involved with the founding of the
German American Savings Bank of Los Angeles. In 1930, he went into private practice in Pasadena, and from 1932-33, Martin
served as the Austrian Honorary Consul at Los Angeles for California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
In 1933, he again entered the service of the Department of the Interior as a mining engineer. He retired in 1941 and became
a private consultant in South Pasadena. Martin passed away in Pasadena, California, in 1951.
Acquisition
F. O. Martin's business papers and scrapbooks were donated in 1999 by his daughter, Margaret Hamer.
F. O. Martin's personal correspondence was donated by John G. Tomlinson in 2002.
Scope and Content
This collection contains F. Oskar Martin's personal correspondence, the minutes of the board meetings of the German American
Savings Bank of Los Angeles, and paper and photograph scrapbooks documenting his career as a geologist and mining engineer
for the United States and for the Union Oil Company. Also included in this collection are clippings documenting his appointment
as Consul for Austria in anticipation of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the honorary medal given to him by Austria upon
the Games' conclusion. Of especial note are the scrapbooks with photographs of his travels in the undeveloped regions of Colombia
and Panama in the 1920s. Please see the Scope and Content notes for individual series for more information.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers
on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers
when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish,
quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], F. Oskar Martin papers, Collection no. 0311, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of
Southern California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
German American Savings Bank of Los Angeles. -- Archives
Martin, F. O., (Frederick Oskar), 1871-1951 -- Archives
Martin, F. O., (Frederick Oskar), 1871-1951 -- Correspondence
Olympic Games (10th : 1932 : Los Angeles, Calif.). -- Archives
Union Oil Company of California. -- Archives
Colombia--Discovery and exploration--Archival resources
Correspondence
Geologists--Archival resources
Geologists--California--Archival resources
Geologists--Colombia--Archival resources
Geologists--Idaho--Archival resources
Geologists--Montana--Archival resources
Geologists--Panama--Archival resources
Geology--Colombia--Archival resources
Geology--Panama--Archival resources
Mining engineers--Archival resources
Mining engineers--California--Archival resources
Mining engineers--Idaho--Archival resources
Mining engineers--Montana--Archival resources
Panama Canal (Panama)--History--Archival resources
Panama--Discovery and exploration--Archival resources
Petroleum--Colombia--Archival resources
Photographs
Savings banks--California--Archival resources
Scrapbooks