Gurdon Wallace Wattles Papers

The collection consists of 26 items in the Manuscripts series, 1,263 items in the Correspondence series and 361 pieces of Ephemera.

The manuscripts mainly consist of speeches or short pieces written by Gurdon Wallace Wattles regarding business practices, Nebraska, and his political views. It also includes scripts written by True Boardman.

The majority of the correspondence is from Gurdon Wallace Wattles or addressed to him. These letters deal with his business matters in both Nebraska and California, family news and business, and there are many which describe the Wattles House and Gardens, especially the decorating of the Italian garden. There are also letters pertaining to the disposition of his will. Another set of letters describes Wattles' investment in a company which explored sound in film technology.

The Ephemera section contains material relating to the Wattles family and their life in California. Among these materials are drawings for the Italian garden, weddings plans for the two daughters, membership cards, invitations to private and public events and photographs of the family on vacation and at the Wattles property. There are also materials related to the disposition of Wattles' will, some business papers and materials related to musicians the Wattles' supported.

Participants include: Harry Chandler, Herbert Hoover, Henry Workman Keller, Robert Andrews Millikan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Gurdon Wallace Wattles, Jr., and the Republican National Committee. Subjects in the collection include: Beverly Hills Hotel; Los Angeles history; Los Angeles gardens; Hollywood, California; Motion picture industry in New York; Hot Springs, South Dakota; Los Angeles Newspapers; Omaha, Nebraska; Universal City, California; Herbert Hoover; Henry Workman Keller; and correspondence from World War, 1939-1945.