Charles Abel Buffum (January 30, 1870 – October 1936) was an American businessman and politician. In 1904, with his brother, Edwin E. Buffum, he moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and purchased a store that would grow into Buffum's Department Stores chain. He served as the fifth mayor of Long Beach, California from 1921 to 1924.

Civic involvement

Buffum was known for his civic involvement; he served on the Long Beach Board of Education for six years and in 1920 became president of the Chamber of Commerce. He served as mayor of Long Beach from 1921 to 1924, and was noted for his support for the development of the

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, also known as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land wit ...

Marriage and family

He married Fern Smith in 1895 and they were the parents of three children: Harry A., Thurlyne, and Dorothy Mae. In 1922 Dorothy married

Norman Chandler Norman Chandler (September 14, 1899 – October 20, 1973) was the publisher of the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1945 to 1960. Personal Norman Chandler was born in Los Angeles on September 14, 1899, one of eight children of Harry Chandler and Ma ...

, who later became publisher of his family's newspaper, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. The

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...

in Los Angeles is named for Dorothy, who was a prominent patron of the arts. The city of Long Beach has designated his house, designed by W. Horace Austin, a historic landmark.

References

1870 births 1936 deaths Mayors of Long Beach, California {{US-business-bio-1870s-stub