Francis P. Farquhar Papers, 1912-1968

Summary

Creators:

Farquhar, Francis Peloubet

Abstract:

Materials reflecting his avocations as conservationist, mountaineer, author, and historian.
Include letters from friends and colleagues, officials of various government agencies and private organizations, etc., with copies of his replies; and subject files (with mss. of his writings, bibliographies, notes, tear sheets and reprints of articles by him and by others, etc.) relating to topics such as the Colorado River, big trees, various national parks (Glacier, Mesa Verde, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc.), Dinosaur National Monument, Hetch Hetchy, Mount Shasta, Mount Whitney, the Sierra Nevada, wireless telegraphy in California, and to individuals such as Henry Larcom Abbot, William H. Brewer, James T. Gardiner, Joseph LeConte, John Muir, and Grizzly Adams. Correspondents include: Horace M.S. Albright, Norman Asa Clyde, Ansel Franklin Hall, Stephen T. Mather, C. Hart Merriam, George W. Stewart, Francois Matthes, and the National Park Service.

Extent:

Number of containers: 6 boxes, 10 cartons Linear feet: 14.6

Language:

English

Background

Biographical / historical:

Francis Peloubet Farquhar -certified public accountant by profession and conservationist, mountaineer, historian and author by avocation -was born in Newton, Massachusetts on December 31, 1887. Graduating from Harvard in 1909, he came to San Francisco in 1910 and, after several business experiences, returned to New England to take up the profession of accounting, studying under Clinton Scovell, a pioneer in the field of cost accounting. In 1914 he came again to California, eventually setting up his own practice in San Francisco as a certified public accountant.

His love of the mountains brought him into mountaineering and conservation circles, and he became deeply involved with the Sierra Club, serving twice as president (1933-35 and 1948-49) and as editor of the Sierra Club Bulletin from 1926 to 1946. He was closely associated with Stephen T. Mather and Horace M. Albright in an unofficial capacity in the administration of the national parks and served temporarily as the National Park Service field accountant, 1922-1925.

His fame as a writer, historian and conservationist was enhanced through books such as Place Names of the High Sierra (1926), Yosemite, The Big Trees and the High Sierra (1948), Up and Down California in 1860-1864: The Journal of William H. Brewer (1931), and the History of the Sierra Nevada (1965), and the many articles on mountains and western history he contributed to periodicals and to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

The many organizations with which he was actively associated indicate his wide range of interest; to name but a few -the California Historical Society (serving as president, 1960-1962); the California Academy of Sciences (treasurer, 1938-50 and president, 1950-53); American Alpine Club; California Committee on Registration of Historic Sites; American Geographical Society; California State Board of Accountancy; Council of The Friends of The Bancroft Library; and the Explorers Club.

Mr. Farquhar died in Berkeley, where he had made his home for many years, on November 20, 1974.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

Francis Peloubet Farquhar gave this collection of papers to the Library over a period of years, 1951-1969. Relating primarily to his interests in conservation, mountaineering, the national parks, and western history, they include correspondence and subject files, which consist of MSS of his writings in particular fields, notes, bibliographies, tear sheets and reprints of articles written by him and by others, transcripts and photocopies of material gathered in the course of his researches, ephemeral publications issued by government agencies and private organizations, clippings, etc. The papers are described in greater detail in the Key to Arrangement which follows.

Most of the files, as maintained by Mr. Farquhar, were in notebook binders. To facilitate reference use, the papers have been placed, instead, in folders, with notebook titles retained. Some correspondence was removed from the subject files, for easier access, and placed in “name” correspondence files, with cross references made on the folders.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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