Description
Consists of the papers of R. W. Waterman,
including ephemera and women’s suffrage newspapers. Materials date from the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Includes ephemera related to fraternal
organizations and clubs within California. The types of ephemera in the collection
include: invitations, programs, tickets, dance cards, menus, business cards, and
newspaper clippings. Also includes women's suffrage newspapers collected after
Waterman's death.
Background
Robert Whitney Waterman was born in Fairfield, New York, on December 15, 1826, and,
as a boy, moved to Illinois with his older brothers after their father’s death. He
worked as a storekeeper and farmer there. After hearing of gold, Waterman traveled
to California in 1850 to try mining but was unsuccessful and returned to Illinois
two years later. In Wilmington, Illinois, he became highly involved in the
Republican Party and, in 1856, he was one of the state’s two delegates to the
Republican National Convention. The other was Abraham Lincoln. In 1873, Waterman
moved to California with his family, eventually settling in San Bernardino. Waterman
became extremely successful in the mining industry and also owned large tracts of
land. In 1886 he ran on the Republican ticket for the office of lieutenant governor
and was elected along with a Democratic governor. Upon the governor’s death in
September 1887, Waterman assumed the office and held it until January of 1891. In
failing health, he died of pneumonia on April 12, 1891.
Extent
5 boxes
(2.7 linear feet)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North
Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the
copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original
materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Availability
CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates: https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/