Robert Fenton Craig Papers, 1936-1974

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Summary

Creators:
Craig, Robert Fenton
Extent:
22 boxes (11 linear ft.)

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of correspondence, publications, and campaign literature, and memorabilia related to national and California politics, particularly the California Republican Assembly. Includes rosters of state and county Republican Central Committees, rosters of Republican clubs, correspondence with Thomas E. Dewey, and campaign materials relating to Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron and California Governor Goodwin Knight.

Biographical / historical:

Robert Fenton Craig was born in 1903 in Nebraska; BA, journalism, University of Nebraska; received law degree at University of Nebraska and admitted to bar, 1927; admitted to California bar, 1932; specialized in corporate law, especially in field of air law; assisted in founding the Republican Assembly in Los Angeles County (1932) and in drawing blueprint for the statewide organization; executive secretary, California Republican Assembly (1934-38), later serving as president in Los Angeles County (1955), and statewide president (1956); joined faculty of University of Southern California in 1940, becoming associate professor of transportation in 1947 and full professor two years later; appointed professor of management, 1960s; active in Eisenhower's presidential campaigns, handling all of the California visits in 1952 and 1956.

Expanded Biographical Note

Robert Fenton Craig was born, and raised in Nebraska and took his law degree at the University of Nebraska in 1927. That same year he was admitted to the bar. He was admitted to the California bar in 1932. He specialised in corporation and partnership law. Records of some of this practice are here in the papers, records of such clients as the California Association of Landscape and Irrigation and the Appliance Profession Association. Much of his practice was in the field of air law (communications, airports and transportation), in which field he came to be considered an expert.

Robert Penton Craig has been a lifelong Republican, attending all national conventions since 1912, except those held in 1930 and 1952. Shortly after taking his degree he began his involvements in the campaigns of various Republicans. In 1932 he assisted in founding th the Republican Assembly in Los Angeles County. With Ed Shattuck, he drew the blueprint for the statewide organisation. From 1934-38 he served as organiser and executive secretary of the California Republican Assembly. He has been active in that organisation since, serving as its president in Los Angeles County in 1955 and as statewide president in 1956. The bulk of the CRA-related materials here in the collection date from those years. These materials add to and coordinate importantly with other CRA papers in the Department of Special Collections.

Other campaigns and individual political efforts with which he was associated are well represented in the papers, such as the campaigns of Governor Goodwin Knight and Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron. These materials also relate importantly with others in the Department.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Robert Fenton Craig, 1974.
Arrangement:

The papers were largely ungrouped, and most folder titles were ambiguous. The grouping of the papers has been done according to the following series description, with folder titles for the most part supplied by the cataloger.

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Biographical (box 1)
  2. Correspondence (box 1)
  3. Political organizations (boxes 2-11)
  4. Campaigns for individuals and issues (boxes 12-13)
  5. Knight-Knowland campaigns (boxes 14-15)
  6. Theodore Roosevelt centennial celebration (box 16)
  7. Craig's campaigns for the board of education (boxes 17-19)
  8. Business files (boxes 20-22).

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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