Charles Abel Buffum (January 30, 1870 – October 1936) was an American businessman and politician. In 1904, with his brother, Edwin E. Buffum, he moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

and purchased a store that would grow into Buffum's Department Stores chain. He served as the fifth mayor of Long Beach, California from 1921 to 1924.

Civic involvement

Buffum was known for his civic involvement; he served on the Long Beach Board of Education for six years and in 1920 became president of the Chamber of Commerce. He served as mayor of Long Beach from 1921 to 1924, and was noted for his support for the development of the

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, administered as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land wi ...

Marriage and family

He married Fern Smith in 1895 and they were the parents of three children: Harry A., Thurlyne, and Dorothy Mae. In 1922 Dorothy married

Norman Chandler Norman Chandler (September 14, 1899 – October 20, 1973) was the publisher of the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1945 to 1960. Personal Norman Chandler was born in Los Angeles on September 14, 1899, one of eight children of Harry Chandler and M ...

, who later became publisher of his family's newspaper, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''. The

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...

in Los Angeles is named for Dorothy, who was a prominent patron of the arts. The city of Long Beach has designated his house, designed by W. Horace Austin, a historic landmark.

References

1870 births 1936 deaths Mayors of Long Beach, California 20th-century mayors of places in California {{US-business-bio-1870s-stub