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Bowron (Fletcher) Papers
mssBowron  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
This collection contains papers related to the life and career of Los Angeles Mayor and Superior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron (1877-1968). It includes official correspondence kept during Bowron's term as mayor of Los Angeles from 1938-1953, reports, and information on his election campaigns. There is also source material gathered for his Metropolitan Los Angeles History Project (1973), particularly in the fields of public housing, city planning, and transportation.
Background
Fletcher Bowron (1887-1968), who was mayor of the city of Los Angeles, California, from 1938 to 1953, came into office as a reform candidate in a recall election. His goal was to eradicate political corruption and establish a professional municipal government. For 15 years he was continually reelected to this important position-fifteen years of tremendous growth and unusual problems for the Los Angeles area. Mayor Bowron had spent the years 1911 to 1917 as a newspaper reporter, followed by a return to college for a law degree, two years in private practice, then six years as Judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. During his terms as mayor, World War II brought the sudden expansion of war-related industries to Los Angeles and the immediate need for laborers, public housing, mass transportation, and pollution control. As mayor he worked not only for solutions to these problems but also for the creation of long range city planning and commercial development. After his years as mayor, Bowron was reelected to the bench as Judge of the Superior Court. In 1962 he retired and devoted himself to a Metropolitan History Project. When Judge Bowron passed away in 1968, the project continued under the supervision of Mrs. Bowron and reached its fruition in the publication of the bibliography of Los Angeles history, Los Angeles and Its Environs in the Twentieth Century, with Doyce B. Nunis, Jr., as editor.
Extent
58 Linear Feet (134 boxes and 53 volumes)
Restrictions
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.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.