History
The Commonwealth Club was founded in 1903. Its motto is "Find the truth, and turn it loose in the world," and its mission is the non-partisan study of public affairs. The idea for the club came from Edward F. Adams, an editorial writer at the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. Four prominent California leaders—University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler, San Francisco Chronicle managing editor John P. Young, San Francisco Normal School (later San Francisco State University) president Frederick Burk, and William P. Lawler, a judge who later became a California Supreme Court Justice—cofounded the organization with Adams.
Other initial club members included Bank of America founder A. P. Giannini, architect Bernard Maybeck, U.S. President Herbert Hoover, Bechtel Corporation founder W. A. Bechtel, members of the Haas family who headed Levi Strauss, Inc., U.S. Senator James Phelan, San Francisco Mayor and California Governor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, Matson Navigation founder William P. Roth, Stanford University president and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur, M.D., Bank of California/Union Bank founder William Chapman Ralston, Crown Zellerbach founder J. C. Zellerbach, department store founder Joseph Magnin, California Governor J. N. Gillette, Italian Swiss Colony winery founder Carlo Rossi, and Isaias Hellman, prominent West Coast financier and first president of Wells Fargo Bank. Their goal was cooperation on civic betterment in spite of political and ideological differences. Speakers were invited to address club members to inform them about different perspectives on important issues, after which in its early days the club membership often issued reports, statements, or recommendations on public policy issues.
Leadership of the club over the years has continued to engage the most prominent and civic-minded Northern Californians, many of whom also attained national and international prominence. Presidents of the club in the second half of the 20th century included actress and Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin, and UCSF Chancellor Julius Krevans. Club members include prominent national leaders like former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Defense Secretary William Perry, as well as citizens from professions such as business, law, medicine, teaching, the arts, and journalism.
The club has hosted numerous world-class speakers including many U.S. presidents and other major political leaders in the United States and abroad, business leaders, and influential social activists. Speakers receive no honoraria.
In 2002, The Commonwealth Club launched Inforum of the Commonwealth Club, dedicated to serving the needs of Gen X'ers interested in non-partisan public affairs. INFORUM was developed by Ari Wallach, who served as the founding director from 2002-2003.
The club has offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Though the majority of its programs are in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Lafayette (in the East Bay area northeast of San Francisco), it also hosts occasional events in Sacramento and Southern California.
Read more about this topic: Commonwealth Club Of California
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