Santa Barbara is home to hundreds of clubs, social groups, and nonprofit organizations. As one observer put it, “You can join groups from Audubon to Zonta.” Among this assortment of groups and gatherings, one of the most unique is the Channel City Club.
The Channel City Club was the brainchild of Louis Lancaster. A native of Colorado, Lancaster grew up in Michigan. After college, he worked in advertising and banking. Lancaster was also very interested in politics, and he served one term in the Florida state legislature. In 1934, he moved to Santa Barbara and went to work for County National Bank and Trust. He later became a founder of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.
During World War II, Lancaster went to Washington, D.C., where he served as a State Department liaison officer funneling information to organizations such as the Kiwanis, League of Women Voters, and the Rotary. During this time he met Stuart Ward of the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco. This club became the inspiration for the Channel City Club. Lancaster was later part of the team that helped set up the founding conference of the United Nations.