History
The club is believed to be named after Jonathan Trumbull, 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.
Jonathan Club has evolved to a social organization serving the widely differing needs of its many members.
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.
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