Description
This collection contains papers of Henry M. Robinson (1868-1937), chairman of the board of the Security-First
National Bank in Los Angeles, California, and attorney George E. Farrand (1878-1954), who worked with Robinson and also served
as trustee of his estate.
The collection includes correspondence with letters related to business transactions such as the merger of First
National and Security Pacific Banks in Los Angeles and the Julian Petroleum scandal
as well as personal correspondence amongst friends, acquaintances, and political
allies. Also includes twenty journals written by Farrand, dating from 1915-1954.
Background
Henry Mauris Robinson (1868-1937) was born in Ravenna, Ohio, to George Foreman
Robinson (1844-1917), judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the 2nd subdivision of
the Judicial District of Ohio and Mary (Gillis) Robinson. He married Laurabelle Arms
in February 1894. Henry Mauris Robinson was educated at Western Reserve Academy and
Cornell University and practiced law in Ohio and New York City before moving to
Southern California in 1905. He served as chairman of the board of Security-First
National Bank of Los Angeles and was also on the board of directors of numerous
Southern California corporations and institutions, including the Huntington Library.
From 1917 to 1927, he served on the Council of National Defense, the Supreme
Economic Council of Peace in Paris, the U.S. Shipping Board, the International Labor
Conference, the President's Industrial Conference, the Bituminous Coal Commission,
the Unemployment Conference, and the International Economic Conference at Geneva, in
1927. He died without issue in November 1937. George E. Farrand (1878-1954) was born in Dogton, Pennsylvania, to William and
Jeanette (McKevett) Farrand. He moved from Pennsylvania to Ventura County,
California, in 1899. He served as Ventura County Clerk from 1900 to 1907. He married
Alice Knox in November 1903. He was a founding partner at the law firm of Farrand
& Slosson. His sons, Knox and Stephen, joined him in his practice. George E.
Farrand served as the Chairman of the California Agricultural Legislative Committee
and as legal counsel for farmers’ co-operative organizations, including the
California Fruit Growers Exchange and the California Walnut Growers. Herbert Hoover
appointed him to the position of general counsel of the Federal Farm Board. George
E. Farrand worked with his friend Henry Mauris Robinson on the merger of First
National and Security Pacific Banks and subsequently served as a member of the
executive committee of the consolidated bank. George E. Farrand also served as
trustee of Henry M. Robinson’s estate after he died in 1937.
Restrictions
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.