Thomas Elwood Newlin (1850-1932) was one of the Quakers who founded Whittier in 1887. He grew up in Indiana but moved to Lawrence, KS around 1867 when his father was posted there as an Indian Agent – a federal liaison to native peoples. After attending Earlham College and the University of Kansas, Newlin married Laurie Hadley (1857-1927) in 1878. They came to SoCal in December 1886 and soon established Whittier with other “Friends” and relations (including Laurie’s father Washington; they also had ties to the Pickering and Lindley families). By this point, Newlin was well into his banking career; he would eventually be named VP at Isaias Hellman‘s mighty Farmers & Merchants Bank. From 1895 through 1898, he also served as Los Angeles County Clerk – the job forced the Newlins to leave Whittier for L.A., so in 1896 they built their forever home near USC. Elwood Newlin was killed by a streetcar at the age of 82. He and Laurie had three kids: Gurney, a lifelong bachelor who would become president of the American Bar Association; Helen, for whom Helen Street is named; and Emilie.
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