Thomas Lee Woolwine Papers: Finding Aid mssWoolwine
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
February 2021
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Thomas Lee Woolwine papers
Creator:
Woolwine, Thomas Lee, 1874-1925
Identifier/Call Number: mssWoolwine
Physical Description:
1 Linear Feet
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1914-1922
Abstract: A collection of material related to the
organization and conduct of attorney Thomas Lee Woolwine's campaigns for the offices of Los
Angeles County district attorney and California governor.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Thomas Lee Woolwine papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Alma Foy Woolwine Gravel, October 1944.
Thomas Lee Woolwine (1874-1925) was a Los Angeles attorney. Woolwine was born in Nashville,
Tennessee and received law degrees from Cumberland University in 1903 and from George
Washington University in 1904. He came to California in 1896 and married Alma Foy, the
daughter of Samuel C. Foy, an early Los Angeles businessman. Woolwine made his reputation
and political career on his enforcement of the law, prosecuting cases against gamblers,
swindlers, houses of prostitution, and other representatives of vice. Woolwine served in
several capacities in Los Angeles city, county, and federal justice departments from 1897 to
1908. He was elected district attorney of Los Angeles for the years 1915 to 1923. Woolwine
was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination as governor of California in 1918 and
1922, but lost the primary in 1918 and the general election in 1922.
A collection of 1,651 items from approximately 1914 to 1922, which consists of letters,
manuscripts and documents related to Thomas Lee Woolwine's term as Los Angeles district
attorney, Los Angeles city and county politics, and Woolwine's campaign for governor in
1922. The collection includes political correspondence related to Woolwine's 1916 and 1920
campaigns for district attorney, as well as press releases, drafts of public statements,
expense accounts, a few pieces of campaign advertising, and three statistical reports from
the County District Attorney's Office. There are also 76 letters from community residents
written to Woolwine applauding the 1916 Los Angeles County District Attorney Office's
crackdown on gambling in Santa Monica, Ocean Park, and Venice. Correspondents in the
collection include: Harrison Gray Otis, the California State Colored Republican League, and
United States Attorney General Harry M. Daughtery.
Processed by Peter Blodgett, November 1985. In 2021, Gayle Richardson created the finding
aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arranged by subject and format.
Former call number: mssWoolwine papers.
The collection contained 13 scrapbooks which were transferred to the California Scrapbooks
collection in the Rare Books Department of the Huntington Library.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Politics and
Government -- 20th century
Gambling -- Law and legislation -- California, Southern
Governors -- California -- Election
Lawyers -- California -- Los Angeles
Political campaigns -- California
Public prosecutors -- California -- Los Angeles
California -- Politics and Government --
1850-1950
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Politics and Government
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- Politics and Government
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th
century
Daughtery, Harry M., 1860-1941
Otis, Harrison Gray,
1837-1917
California State Colored Republican League
Democratic Party (Calif.) --
History