The Tuna Club of Avalon is a private members's club in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island in California.
History The club was founded by Charles Frederick Holder (1851–1915) in 1898.Pete Thomas, Pioneers on the angling front, Los Angeles Times, December 09, 2003Rich Roberts, Looking for Big Fish? Join the Club : At Catalina's Tuna Club, They're Hooked on Tradition, Los Angeles Times, October 13, 1993Catalina Museum
Early members included Zane Grey, Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Hal Roach, Cecil B. DeMille, Herbert Hoover and George S. Patton. Among the first honorary members were Theodore Roosevelt, then Governor of New York, and author Henry Van Dyke (both elected in 1898); Henry Markham (elected in 1899); ex-President Grover Cleveland (1899); Gifford Pinchot (1906); and Charles Hallock (1907).Charles Frederick Holder (1910). The Channel Islands of California, p. 77 Against widespread opinion and popular belief, the future prime minister Winston Churchill was not part of the membership.The History of the Tuna Club of Avalon, information provided by the Tuna Club, on slayerrrods.com The club hosted Churchill once, for a unique visit in 1929. On that occasion, the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer caught a 125-pound marlin.Churchill, Winston on the Islapedia websiteCatalina Island Museum, Islander Museum benefit offers rare tours of legendary Tuna Club facilities, Catalina Islander, August 29, 2014
The club was all-male for many years, but membership to women is now welcome.Adrianne Goodman, Avalon Takes Tuna Club's Word on Discrimination, Los Angeles Times, July 20, 1989
Beyond its listed clubhouse, it also leases waterfront facilities.Adrianne Goodman, Avalon to Negotiate New Lease With Tuna Club, Los Angeles Times, December 8, 1989
Clubhouse The clubhouse is located at 100 St. Catherine Way in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island in California. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 2, 1991. It is also listed as a California Historical Landmark.
The state marker on the site reads: NO. 997 TUNA CLUB OF AVALON – The Tuna Club of Avalon marks the birthplace of modern big game sportfishing in 1898. Led by Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, the club's founding members adopted the rules of conduct stressing conservationist ethics and sporting behavior. Today, their work remains the basis for the sport's internationally accepted principles.
The clubhouse was used as a location for the 1974 film Chinatown. In the film, the Tuna Club was renamed the Albacore Club.
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