About

In August 1892 a small group of prominent gentlemen met in New York City to create a new organization for the purpose of celebrating America’s colonial history. Thus was born the Society of Colonial Wars. The following year the General Society of Colonial Wars was founded “to perpetuate the memory of those events, and of the men who, in miliary, naval, and civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by their acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, and preservation of the American Colonies, and who were in truth founders of this Nation.” Established as a national organization, the General Society would become an umbrella organization for a large number of state societies.

Over the past century and a quarter, the General Society and its many state societies have fulfilled their commitment to honor America’s colonial history by collecting and preserving historic manuscripts and records, erecting memorials, giving grants to historians, providing scholarships to teachers and students, supporting archaeological projects and historical recreations, and encouraging geneological and historical research –- and, all the while, promoting a spirit of fellowship among its members, all descendants of the colonial Americans whom they honor.

Delmonicos 1896

SCW Grand Gala, Netherland Hotel,
Cincinnati, 2018

The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of California was founded in 1895 in Los Angeles under the leadership of one of the founding members of the General Society. Its early members included a future U.S. Senator, two former members of the California Supreme Court, the Mayor of Los Angeles, two of California’s most acclaimed early architects, an Episcopal bishop, the founder of The Los Angeles Times, an original member of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, railroad magnet Henry Huntington, and a Berkeley astronomer so renowned that a crater on the moon is named after him. Over the course of the next century, the Society has continued to bring together distinguished members of many professions and walks of life, all sharing an interest in colonial America.

Today the California Society has about one hundred members who meet three or four times a year to share camaraderie and fellowship over a luncheon and to listen to a speaker, usually a prominent historian who works in the field of colonial America. Meetings mostly are held at private clubs – currently the historic Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena – but at times in other venues, such as the Huntington Library. While most of the Society’s activities occur in the southern part of the state, a San Francisco Chapter has been authorized since 1897 and has been active at various times over the years.

The members of the California Society continue to honor their colonial heritage, to preserve the traditions of the Society and to enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow Warriors.

SCW Grand Gala, Netherland Hotel, Cincinnati, 2018