__NOTOC__ Jonathan Club is a

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

with two California locations—one in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

and the other abutting the beach in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

. The club is routinely ranked as one of the top clubs in the world by Platinum Clubs of America.

History

The club has two founding dates set in stone at the entrance to its Downtown Los Angeles building — 1894 (when it was a political club) and 1895 (when it segued into a non-political social club and was chartered by State of California). The club bases its anniversaries on the June 8, 1895 date. Membership in the club is by invitation only. For much of its history, the club was accused of

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

. In 1965, the club was charged with "anti-

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

" and "anti-

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

" bias and a complaint was raised that the membership dues of Mayor

Sam Yorty Samuel William Yorty (October 1, 1909 – June 5, 1998) was an American radio host, attorney, and politician from Los Angeles, California. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, ...

were being paid by city taxpayers to support such discrimination. Yorty told a news conference he knew nothing about such a circumstance. In 1975, the club did not admit women as members. Women guests were "limited to certain floors, dining rooms and entrances", though later policy changes allowed women to "use the main elevator and lobby" at the club.Barry Siegel, "Pressures Mount Against Discrimination," ''Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1976, page F-1
Library card required It voted to admit women in 1987, and today has more than 650 female members.

The club today

The club provides dining, events, and athletic and wellness programs for members. Jonathan Club partners with the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and provides volunteers and funding to civic organization L.A. Works to combat homelessness.

Past and present members

Prominent members include: * John D. Bicknell, founder of law firm that became Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher * Herman Wolf Hellman, founder of Farmers & Merchants Bank; real estate investor * Henry Huntington, railroad builder; land developer; rare art and book collector *

James Boon Lankershim James Boon Lankershim (1850–1931) was an American heir, landowner and real estate developer. Early life James Boon Lankershim was born on March 24, 1850, in Charleston, Missouri. His father was Isaac Lankershim (1818–1882), a German-born Calif ...

, land developer * John D. Spreckels, sugar and steamship entrepreneur * Meredith Pinxton Snyder, banker; Los Angeles police chief, city councilman and mayor (three times) * Peter Janss, developed East Los Angeles communities; philanthropist * Edward Laurence Doheny, oilman * Maurice Newmark, family built merchandise and grocery business into largest firm in Los Angeles *

Harry Chandler Harry Chandler (May 17, 1864 – September 23, 1944) was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S. Early life Harry Chandler was born in Landaff, New Hampshire, the eldest of four ...

, publisher of the ''Los Angeles Times'' * Mericos Hector Whittier, oil industry pioneer; land developer *

William Wrigley Jr. William Mills Wrigley Jr. (September 30, 1861 – January 26, 1932) was an American chewing gum industrialist. He was founder of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. Biography William Mills Wrigley Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Penns ...

, chewing gum magnate * A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) *

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

, adventure and science fiction author *

Robert A. Millikan Robert Andrews Millikan (March 22, 1868 – December 19, 1953) was an American experimental physicist honored with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1923 for the measurement of the Elementary charge, elementary electric charge and for his work on ...

, experimental physicist; recipient of the Nobel Prize; longtime president of California Institute of Technology * Admiral C.C. Bloch, commander of 14th Naval District during Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor *

George Pepperdine George Pepperdine (; June 20, 1886 – July 31, 1962) was an American entrepreneur and Christian philanthropist who was the founder of Pepperdine University in California. Biography Early life George Pepperdine was born on June 20, 1886, on a farm ...

, founded Western Auto Supply; philanthropist; endowed George Pepperdine College (later Pepperdine University) *

Jesse Louis Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life Born in t ...

, created first permanent feature film company in what would become Hollywood; a founder of Paramount Pictures *

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

, early Western movie star * Gordon Bernie Kaufman, prominent architect * Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd, career U.S. Naval officer who perished aboard USS Arizona in 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor; posthumously received Medal of Honor *

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

, governor of California; chief justice of U.S. Supreme Court *

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, silent screen star *

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

, comedy writer, director and producer; created Hal Roach Studios *

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...

, comedy movie star in silents and talkies; founded own studio * Edmund G. Brown, lawyer and politician; governor of California * Paul Gray Hoffman, automobile executive; president of Ford Foundation; received Medal of Freedom for work as first administrator of Marshall Plan after WWII *

John A. McCone John Alexander McCone (January 4, 1902 – February 14, 1991) was an American businessman and politician who served as Director of Central Intelligence from 1961 to 1965, during the height of the Cold War. Background John A. McCone was born in ...

, industrialist; head of Atomic Energy Commission; director of CIA; headed McCone Commission to investigate causes of 1965 Watts riots and propose cures to avoid future outbreaks *

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, movie actor; governor of California; president of the United States *

Arnold O. Beckman Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of th ...

, prolific chemist and inventor; industrialist; funded first transistor company and fueled creation of Silicon Valley; philanthropist, including to Caltech where he studied and taught * Peter O’Malley, owner and president of Los Angeles Dodgers

Locations

In 1924, the Club opened its present location at 545 S. Figueroa Street, one block west of the

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...

.''Southwest Builder and Contractor'' (July 11, 1924) Since 1927, the club has had a beach location in Santa Monica, in a building designed by architect Gene Verge, Sr.The City of Beverly Hills: Historic Resources Inventory (1985-1986)
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References

External links

* {{coord, 34.051517, -118.258498, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Clubs and societies in California Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Culture of Los Angeles Organizations based in Los Angeles Gentlemen's clubs in California Organizations established in 1895 1895 establishments in California 19th century in Los Angeles