__NOTOC__ Jonathan Club is a

social club A social club or social organization may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity with in an organizational association known as a Club (organization), club. Exampl ...

with two California locations—one in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

and the other abutting the beach in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. 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 process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

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

Negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

" and "anti-

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

" 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 politician, attorney, and radio host 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 (March 24, 1850 – October 16, 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, a Germ ...

, 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, 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 founded the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. Biography William Mills Wrigley Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani ...

, 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 writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...

, adventure and science fiction author * Robert A. Millikan, 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 fa ...

, founded Western Auto Supply; philanthropist; endowed George Pepperdine College (later Pepperdine University) * Jesse Louis Lasky, 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 (genre), Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were s ...

, 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 and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...

, 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 films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, silent screen star *

Hal Roach Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. 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 and screenwriter, ...

, 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 film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

, 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 government official who served as Director of Central Intelligence from 1961 to 1965, during the height of the Cold War. Background John A. McCone wa ...

, 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, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, movie actor; governor of California; president of the United States * Arnold O. Beckman, 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 (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California, operating separate from the Los Angeles County Public Library system. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million resid ...

.''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.

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