Description
The collection contains forty-eight items connected to the Anti-Cigarette League of America, from 1911 to 1914, including:
letters from Manfred P. Welcher, Field Secretary, trying to arrange the League's first convention; letters of approval for
the League or the idea of the convention, from a variety of supporters; other League ephemera.
Background
The Anti-Cigarette League of America, an anti-smoking advocacy group founded by Lucy Page Gaston in 1890, had substantial
success until the early 20th century in passing anti-smoking legislation in American states. Gaston, a teacher, writer,
lecturer and member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) maintained that cigarette smoking was a dangerous new
habit, particularly threatening to the young. The League campaigned not only for smoking bans in public places but also
for banning cigarettes themselves. With strong public support, between 1890 and 1930 fifteen states enacted laws to ban the
sale, manufacture, possession, and use of cigarettes; twenty-two other states considered such legislation.
Extent
1 box (0.5 linear ft.)
Restrictions
Property rights in the physical objects belong to the UCLA Biomedical Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish if the Biomedical Library does not hold the copyright.
Availability
Collection is open for research.