Collection context
Summary
Background
- Scope and content:
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The Hubbard Papers consist of notes and drafts for most of Hubbard's published and unpublished writings. His local history research is informed by a knowledge of economic factors that was unusual for the day. His papers possess additional importance in that Hubbard is probably the last historian to have interviewed Julia Weber, daughter of the founder of Stockton, Charles M. Weber III, the founder's grandson, and Louisa E. Vallejo de Emparan, the last surviving daughter of M. G. Vallejo.
- Biographical / historical:
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Harry Dorris Hubbard (1889-1970) had an active, enquiring intellect, a fluent pen, and an unlimited gift for self-promotion. He was both a huckster and a self-taught local historian of some importance, whose work was produced (and remains in) virtual obscurity.
Hubbard spent his early years in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, where his mother had gone to cure her tuberculosis. From age fifteen, Hubbard worked in steam laundries to help support his mother and sister. In 1909, he moved the family to California, where he entered the Mare Island Naval Electrician's Academy. Following graduation from the Academy, Hubbard served in the U.S. Navy for some years. During the First World War he was an inspector for Holt Tractor's tank engines. In 1918 he located in Stockton, Calif., where he worked first for Holt, then for Samson Seive-Grip Tractors.
In 1925 Hubbard opened a Stockton automotive electrical supplies store which he operated until 1929. During this period of his life Hubbard became interested in psychoanalysis and, through a correspondence course, earned a "doctorate" in psychoanalysis which he parleyed into a regular advice column with a Stockton newspaper. In 1930 Hubbard began teaching vocational education at Stockton High School. At about the same time, he commenced the study of economics at the College of the Pacific. In 1935 Hubbard received a B.A. from the College and took a job as a mainte-nance engineer with the U.S. Post Office. From that year until his retirement (1955) Hubbard wrote copiously and promoted his writings--in both printed and broadcast form--with indefatigable zeal.
His output included a general history of the San Joaquin county area, radio dramatizations of portions of this history, a biography of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a history of commerce on the San Joaquin River, a history of savings and loan institutions in California, and numerous short stories. His published works are Building the heart of an empire (1938), Vallejo (1941), and The Bobcat of Hell's Gulch (1968). Hubbard arranged for a performance of part of his Building the heart of an empire at the San Francisco International Exposition (1939-1940).
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
- Physical description:
- 5.75 linear ft.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 1998
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid derived from paper by means of scanning and OCR; OCR file edited for typographical errors before encoding. Date of source: 1994.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Harry D. Hubbard Papers, Mss40, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library
- Location of this collection:
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University of the Pacific, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University LibraryStockton, CA 95211, US
- Contact:
- (209) 946-2404