Jonathan Club
Encyclopedia
The Jonathan Club is a private social club
in Los Angeles
, California
, U.S.
It maintains two clubhouses, one in downtown Los Angeles at 545 South Figueroa Street (built in 1924) and one on the beach in Santa Monica
. The Los Angeles headquarters has dining and residential facilities, ballrooms, a health club, a library and other accoutrements.
Membership in the club is by invitation. For most of its history, the club admitted only white
men, but since 1987 it has also admitted women and members of non-white groups.
, advisor to George Washington. However historical evidence supports the club's roots as being named after Brother Jonathan
, the caricature predecessor to Uncle Sam
. According to an undated but recent publication of the club titled Jonathan: A Very Special Club, the club was founded in September 1895 by a group of men who had been active in a Los Angeles marching society. There is also evidence that the club's origin was tied to a group of Los Angeles Republicans who supported William McKinley's presidential campaign.. William May Garland
was one of the founding members of the club, and that family was told that when deciding the name of the club, he said "let's call it the Jonathan Club after my father" (Jonathan Garland). This version of the club name is via William May Garland's granddaughter.
The club was a center of Los Angeles business and social life, but its members also engaged in spirited frivolity.
Throughout the later 20th century there developed many activities geared to the male members, their children, and the women in their lives. In the first seven days of December 1940, for example, the club featured a "Key Men's Breakfast, a "Deep South" chicken dinner, "Distinguished Guest Speakers," swimming for both men and women, an "Army, Navy, Marine Round-Table Luncheon," a family night with a buffet dinner, bridge and dancing, a stag football luncheon and a Saturday-night "Informal Dancing Frolic."
One of the oldest clubs within the Club is the Breakfast Club, which first met in 1935. The Breakfast Club meets every Tuesday at the Downtown facility and hosts speakers ranging from sports, politics, business and entertainment. It is thought to be the oldest and most revered speakers' forum on the West Coast.
When the Jonathan Club originated, only white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant men were able to join. The club was alleged to have maintained discriminatory admission and access policies based on race and sex throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. The club admitted its first African-American and female members in 1987. As late as 1988, the club refused to promise California
state authorities that it would not discriminate against people based on race, sex, or religion. In 2001, the City of Los Angeles
sued the Jonathan Club for barring women from one of its dining rooms.
at 610 S. Main Street, which was the transportation hub for Southern California. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
, "the top three floors of the building housed the exclusive and lavishly adorned Jonathan Club, one of the city’s most exclusive private clubs."
In 1924 a contract was let for what Southwest Builder called a "magnificent new home" for the club — its present brick-faced structure at 545 S. Figueroa Street, one block west of the Los Angeles Central Library.
Since 1927, the Jonathan Club has owned a beach club in nearby Santa Monica
. While the beach club is a power-lunch hot spot in L.A.'s Westside, the facility is used primarily by members' families and guests. In a time when other Los Angeles, private clubs have struggled to recruit younger members, the Jonathan Club's beach facility has been a strategic asset in luring new members.
Distinguished American Award. In 1991, its first recipient was the former president himself. Both former President and former First Lady
Nancy Reagan
were present at the initial award ceremony, which was held in the club's main dining hall. Subsequent award recipients include entertainer Bob Hope, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
, Reverend Billy Graham
and General Chuck Yeager
. Legendary UCLA Bruins basketball
coach John Wooden
is also a recipient. The club would later rename its former women's parlor as the Reagan Room.
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
It maintains two clubhouses, one in downtown Los Angeles at 545 South Figueroa Street (built in 1924) and one on the beach in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
. The Los Angeles headquarters has dining and residential facilities, ballrooms, a health club, a library and other accoutrements.
Membership in the club is by invitation. For most of its history, the club admitted only white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
men, but since 1987 it has also admitted women and members of non-white groups.
History
The club is believed to be named after Jonathan TrumbullJonathan Trumbull
Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. was one of the few Americans who served as governor in both a pre-Revolutionary colony and a post-Revolutionary state...
, advisor to George Washington. However historical evidence supports the club's roots as being named after Brother Jonathan
Brother Jonathan
Brother Jonathan was a fictional character created to personify the entire United States, in the early days of the country's existence.In editorial cartoons and patriotic posters, Brother Jonathan was usually depicted as a typical American revolutionary, with tri-cornered hat and long military jacket...
, the caricature predecessor to Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
. According to an undated but recent publication of the club titled Jonathan: A Very Special Club, the club was founded in September 1895 by a group of men who had been active in a Los Angeles marching society. There is also evidence that the club's origin was tied to a group of Los Angeles Republicans who supported William McKinley's presidential campaign.. William May Garland
William May Garland
William May Garland was the son of Jonathan May Garland and Rebecca Heagan Jewett....
was one of the founding members of the club, and that family was told that when deciding the name of the club, he said "let's call it the Jonathan Club after my father" (Jonathan Garland). This version of the club name is via William May Garland's granddaughter.
From that beginning has evolved today's Jonathan Club, a social organization serving the widely differing needs of its many members. This diversity, combined with the character and spirit of the members make the Jonathan Club unique.
The club was a center of Los Angeles business and social life, but its members also engaged in spirited frivolity.
Throughout the later 20th century there developed many activities geared to the male members, their children, and the women in their lives. In the first seven days of December 1940, for example, the club featured a "Key Men's Breakfast, a "Deep South" chicken dinner, "Distinguished Guest Speakers," swimming for both men and women, an "Army, Navy, Marine Round-Table Luncheon," a family night with a buffet dinner, bridge and dancing, a stag football luncheon and a Saturday-night "Informal Dancing Frolic."
One of the oldest clubs within the Club is the Breakfast Club, which first met in 1935. The Breakfast Club meets every Tuesday at the Downtown facility and hosts speakers ranging from sports, politics, business and entertainment. It is thought to be the oldest and most revered speakers' forum on the West Coast.
When the Jonathan Club originated, only white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant men were able to join. The club was alleged to have maintained discriminatory admission and access policies based on race and sex throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. The club admitted its first African-American and female members in 1987. As late as 1988, the club refused to promise California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state authorities that it would not discriminate against people based on race, sex, or religion. In 2001, the City of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
sued the Jonathan Club for barring women from one of its dining rooms.
Locations
In 1905, the club was headquartered in the monumental new Pacific Electric BuildingPacific Electric Building
The Pacific Electric Building opened in 1905 as the terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car Lines running east and south of downtown Los Angeles, as well as the company's main headquarters building. It was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh...
at 610 S. Main Street, which was the transportation hub for Southern California. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
, "the top three floors of the building housed the exclusive and lavishly adorned Jonathan Club, one of the city’s most exclusive private clubs."
In 1924 a contract was let for what Southwest Builder called a "magnificent new home" for the club — its present brick-faced structure at 545 S. Figueroa Street, one block west of the Los Angeles Central Library.
Since 1927, the Jonathan Club has owned a beach club in nearby Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. While the beach club is a power-lunch hot spot in L.A.'s Westside, the facility is used primarily by members' families and guests. In a time when other Los Angeles, private clubs have struggled to recruit younger members, the Jonathan Club's beach facility has been a strategic asset in luring new members.
Other
The Jonathan Club is home to the Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Distinguished American Award. In 1991, its first recipient was the former president himself. Both former President and former First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
were present at the initial award ceremony, which was held in the club's main dining hall. Subsequent award recipients include entertainer Bob Hope, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
, Reverend Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
and General Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
. Legendary UCLA Bruins basketball
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
is also a recipient. The club would later rename its former women's parlor as the Reagan Room.
Notable members
- Nathan Cole Jr.Nathan Cole Jr.Nathan Cole Jr. was one of the two founders of the Los Angeles Daily Times, now the Los Angeles Times. The son of a wealthy St. Louis, Missouri, politician and banker, he was just 21 years old in 1881 when he and a colleague, Thomas Gardiner, put together the first issues of the new venture to be...
, an early member - Robert S. MacAlisterRobert S. MacAlisterNot to be confused with James G. McAllister, Los Angeles City Council member 1928–33Robert Stuart MacAlister , who went by Robert S. MacAlister, was an oil-well-supplies salesman and a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1934 and 1939.-Biography:MacAlister was born on May...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1934–39 - Henry Edwards Huntington, a founding member, whose home became the Huntington Library in San Marino, California
- William May Garland, a founding member, and president of the Tenth Olympiad. Huntington's principal sales agent.