The Los Angeles Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers was founded in 1913, largely through the efforts of three engineers in the City of Los Angeles Engineering Department; City Engineer Homer Hamlin, Deputy City Engineer Andrew C. Hansen, and Engineering Draftsman, Wilbur C. Sawyer.
On March 22, 1913, Wilbur Sawyer wrote to Charles Warren Hunt, Executive Director of ASCE in New York, suggesting that a branch of ASCE be established in Los Angeles. Hunt responded on April 22, 1913, conveying the Governing Board's conceptual approval.
Sawyer then sent a letter to all ASCE Members and Associate Members of ASCE in the Los Angeles area, and some in San Diego, polling them on their interest in establishing an Association of Members of ASCE. At the time, most of the engineers in the area were members of a local organization known as the Engineers and Architects Association of Southern California, but the response was decidedly in favor of forming a new organization.
On October 14, 1913, about 45 engineers attended a dinner meeting at the Sierra Madre Club and agreed to form the Southern California Association of Members of the ASCE, appointing J.B. Lippencott as Acting President, and Wilbur Sawyer as Acting Secretary. Lippencott, in turn, appointed a constitution and bylaws committee chaired by Andrew Hansen, with members George S. Binkley, Fulton Lane, J.R. Conley (San Diego), and W.K. Barnard.
At a second dinner meeting on November 7, 1913, a draft of the proposed constitution, modeled after that of the San Francisco Association of Members of the ASCE, was reviewed by the attendees, again approximately 45 in number, and a final draft was adopted after suggested revisions were approved.
Present at that meeting was Leonard Metcalf, a National ASCE board member from Boston, and F.C. Nerman, a member of the San Francisco Association. At the conclusion of the meeting, Acting President J.B. Lippencott appointed a temporary Board of Directors chaired by Capt. Charles T. Leeds, with board members W.D. Larabee, F.E. Trask, Homer Hamlin, and Burdett Moody. The board's primary assignment was to arrange for a formal election of officers.
The constitution was forwarded to Charles Warren Hunt by Andrew Hansen on November 12, 1913, and on December 8, Hunt informed Hansen by letter that the Board had approved it on December 3, 1913.
Between December 8 and December 30, 1913, ballots were sent to charter members for the election of the Association's first officers. On the ballot for President were J.B. Lippencott and William Mulholland; for Vice President with a 1-year term were A.C. Hansen and C.T. Leeds; for Vice President with a 2-year term were G.S. Binkley and F.E. Trask; for Secretary were W.K. Barnard and W.C. Sawyer, and for Treasurer were Charles H. Lee and C.S. Pope.
Ballots were counted on January 3, 1914, by C.T. Leeds, W.D. Larabee, and F.E. Trask. J.B. Lippencott was elected President; C.T, Leeds was elected Vice President with a 1-year term; G.S. Binkley was elected for a 2-year term as Vice President; W.K. Barnard as Secretary, and C.H. Lee was elected Treasurer.
On January 5, 1914, the first annual meeting of the Association, attended by about 60 charter members, was held at the University Club at 6th and Hill Streets. Election returns were reported to the membership and the new officers were introduced by William Mulholland.
The Association's first paper was presented by W.M. Thomas, on the Thomas System of Reinforcing and Three-Hinged Arch Bridges, and illustrated by lantern slides.
On January 16, 1914, Secretary W.K. Barnard reported on the results of the election of officers and the first annual meeting to Charles Warren Hunt, and on January 27, 1914, Hunt sent a letter of congratulations on the successful founding of the Association, and the L.A. Section was off and running.
Scanned copies of the founding documents can be accessed from the menu at the top of this page by clicking on Initial Correspondence.
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