Jefferson A. Beaver papers, 1946-1970

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
Beaver, Jefferson A.
Abstract:
The Jefferson A. Beaver papers consist of photographs, correspondence, awards, newspaper clippings, and programs that document his activities as a banker, co-founder of the Transbay Federal Savings and Loan, and his service on various public and civic boards.
Extent:
.25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Jefferson A. Beaver papers, MS 62, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Jefferson A. Beaver papers consist of photographs, correspondence, awards, newspaper clippings, and programs that document his activities as a banker, co-founder of the Transbay Federal Savings and Loan, and his service on various public and civic boards. The papers include thirteen photographs of Beaver at speaking at assorted public events and at the 1961 Debutante Ball. Beaver’s correspondence mostly relate to his service on the City and County of San Francisco Advisory Committee on Urban Development, as a California delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and assorted letters of congratulation on being elected to various boards.

Biographical / historical:

Jefferson Beaver (1908-1991) was born on May 20, 1908 in Warren, Arkansas to Rev. Robert Jefferson Beaver and Ethel Jordan. In 1911 Beaver relocated with his family to San Francisco, California where he graduated with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936 and briefly attended Golden Gate Law School in San Francisco. Beaver was co-founder and executive vice president of Transbay Federal Saving and Loan, a bank which was established in 1949 to primarily serve African Americans in the San Francisco Bay area. He was also the founding director of Golden State National Bank in 1961.

Beaver was known for his civil rights work among San Francisco’s African American community, serving as president of the San Francisco Chapter of the NAACP and the Bay Area Urban League in the 1950s and was the director of San Francisco's United Community Fund. He was active in governmental affairs and was appointed to the City and County of San Francisco Advisory Committee on Urban Development, California Committee for Fair Employment Practices, and was a member of the San Francisco Council for Civic Unity. In 1959, Beaver was also part of a U.S. Department of Commerce trade delegation sent to the Soviet Union and Nigeria to stimulate trade and business opportunities between nations.

Processing information:

Processed by Sean Heyliger, 06/12/2013.

Arrangement:

Series I. Photographs Series II. Correspondence Series III. Certificates Series IV. Printed material

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish from the Jefferson A. Beaver Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.

Preferred citation:

Jefferson A. Beaver papers, MS 62, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Location of this collection:
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612, US
Contact:
(510) 637-0198