Secretaries of the Justices
1868–1893

An Act to provide a Law Library for the Supreme Court (Stats. 1867-8, ch. 488, p. 659) established the Library of the Supreme Court of California and authorized the Secretary of the justices to serve as a librarian. Secretaries were responsible for assembling the contents of the court’s first library in Sacramento and managing its operations during the Supreme Court’s transition from a five-member court to a seven-member court. In 1874, the library was moved to new quarters in San Francisco when the Supreme Court began keeping offices and holding many of its regular sessions here.

Carl C. Finkler, 1868–1878
Secretary and Librarian

Thomas F. O’Connor, 1878–1887
Secretary and Librarian

Frank T. Meagher, 1887–1893
Secretary

Head Librarians & Directors
1893–

Authorized by statute in 1893 (Stats. 1893, ch. 115, p. 132) the position of Supreme Court Librarian was first filled by Benjamin Edson. His successor, the honorable John F. Tyler, was later appointed to the California Court of Appeal, First District, where he served as Presiding Justice of Division One from 1921 to 1939. The library’s longest-serving librarian, Thomas F. Dunn, retired in 1940 after 23 years of service. Arline C. Matheron was the first woman to serve as the court’s librarian.

Benjamin Edson, 1893–1911
John F. Tyler, 1911–1917
Thomas F. Dunn, 1917–1940
Arline C. Matheron, 1941–1949
Madge S. Millholen, 1949–1967
John A. Sigel, 1967–1987
Karen Toran, 1987–1999
Frances Jones, 1999–2016
Jorge Navarrete, 2016–2017 *
Donna Williams, 2017-2019
Holly M. Riccio, 2020-

* Acting Director, Library Services, Clerk/Executive Officer of the Court