Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Scope and Content
Biography
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Chester H. Rowell Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1887-1946
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 401
Creator: Rowell, Chester H. (Chester Harvey), 1867-1948
Extent:
Number of containers: 10 cartons, 27 boxes and 2 oversize v.
Linear feet: 24.5
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages Represented:
English
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Chester H. Rowell papers, BANC MSS C-B 401, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Scope and Content
Chester H. Rowell's correspondence, articles, and editorials reflect his wide interest in the political and social problems
of the period. He was an organizer and president of the Lincoln-Roosevelt Republican League, 1907-1911; delegate to a number
of Republican state and national conventions between 1910 and 1936 and Progressive National Committeeman, 1912-1916; unsuccessful
candidate for the Progressive nomination for United States Senator from California, 1914; chairman, Republican State Central
Committee, 1916-1918; member of the California Railroad Commission, 1921-1923; member of the Presidential Emergency Boards
on railroad strikes, 1928-1931; member of American Youth Commission, 1935-1948; and member and officer of numerous other political
and social organizations. He was a strong advocate of United States entry into the League of Nations.
The Rowell collection was given to the Bancroft Library in September, 1948, by his children, Mrs. Cora R. Givens, Mrs. Barbara
R. Laughlin, and Jonathan H. Rowell.
The correspondence is divided into two groups: letters from Rowell arranged chronologically (Boxes 1-7) and letters to Rowell
arranged alphabetically (Boxes 8-27). If there is only one letter from an individual, this letter is filed in the appropriate
miscellany folder. If there are two or more, the letters are filed in folders either under the name of the person or the name
of the organization for which he wrote, depending on the nature of the correspondence. Within each folder, the letters are
arranged chronologically. Names of principal correspondents appear in the manuscripts catalog and shelf list.
Rowell's copies of his editorials in the
Fresno Republican, 1898-1920, are arranged chronologically (Carton 2). The articles and printed material are roughly arranged according to the
nature of the material and the subject matter (Cartons 1, 3-10).
A collection of Rowell's articles in the
San Francisco Chronicle, chiefly 1926-1946, was presented to the Bancroft Library by the
Chronicle in 1950 (C-B 402).
Biography
Chester Harvey Rowell, California journalist and civic leader, was born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1867, son of Jonathan Harvey
and Marie S. (Woods) Rowell. He was educated in Bloomington public schools, received the Ph.B. degree from the University
of Michigan, 1888, and did graduate work at the universities of Halle and Berlin. In 1898 he became editor and publisher of
the
Fresno Republican, a small country newspaper founded by his uncle, Dr. Chester Rowell, and soon made it one of the leading papers of the state.
He sold the
Republican in 1920 to George A. Osborn and Chase S. Osborn, Jr. In 1923 Rowell began a series of syndicated newspaper articles and from
1932-1939 was editor of the
San Francisco Chronicle. He died in 1948.
Autobiographical material can be found in Apr. 23, 1914 letter to Forkner.