Brand Whitlock
Encyclopedia
Brand Whitlock an American
municipal reformer, diplomat, journalist, and author. Born Joseph Brand Whitlock at Urbana, Ohio
, son of the Rev. Elias and Mollie Lavinia (Brand) Whitlock, he was educated in the public schools and by private tutors. He also studied law under Senator J. M. Palmer
and was admitted to the bar in 1894.
In Chicago of the early 1890s, he was a reporter for the venerable Chicago Herald. As baseball was one of his beats, he got to cover the likes of longtime Chicago captain-manager Cap Anson
, whom he sometimes referred to in print as "Grampa." The recollection appears in Whitlock's 1914 book Forty Years of It and contemporaneous Herald coverage from the early 1890s can be found in which the term appears, in relation to Anson. Newspapers hardly had bylines as of the 1890s, and direct confirmation of Whitlock's baseball writing career may be elusive.
Settling in Toledo
in 1897, he established a successful practice. Between 1905 and 1911 he was four times elected mayor of Toledo on an independent ticket, but he denied a fifth nomination. In 1913 Whitlock was appointed minister to Belgium
by President Wilson
.
When the First World War
broke out his burdens were increased by the assumption of representation for seven additional countries and his position was made delicate by the German
occupation of Belgium. His adroit performance of his duties in the office won for him an international reputation for tact, zeal, and efficiency.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
municipal reformer, diplomat, journalist, and author. Born Joseph Brand Whitlock at Urbana, Ohio
Urbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army. Urbana was named after the town of Urbanna, Virginia. It is the burial-place of the Indian fighter...
, son of the Rev. Elias and Mollie Lavinia (Brand) Whitlock, he was educated in the public schools and by private tutors. He also studied law under Senator J. M. Palmer
John M. Palmer (politician)
John McAuley Palmer , was an Illinois resident, an American Civil War General who fought for the Union, the 15th Governor of Illinois, and presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party in the 1896 election on a platform to defend the gold standard, free trade, and limited...
and was admitted to the bar in 1894.
In Chicago of the early 1890s, he was a reporter for the venerable Chicago Herald. As baseball was one of his beats, he got to cover the likes of longtime Chicago captain-manager Cap Anson
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson , nicknamed "Cap" and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman...
, whom he sometimes referred to in print as "Grampa." The recollection appears in Whitlock's 1914 book Forty Years of It and contemporaneous Herald coverage from the early 1890s can be found in which the term appears, in relation to Anson. Newspapers hardly had bylines as of the 1890s, and direct confirmation of Whitlock's baseball writing career may be elusive.
Settling in Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
in 1897, he established a successful practice. Between 1905 and 1911 he was four times elected mayor of Toledo on an independent ticket, but he denied a fifth nomination. In 1913 Whitlock was appointed minister to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
by President Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
.
When the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out his burdens were increased by the assumption of representation for seven additional countries and his position was made delicate by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation of Belgium. His adroit performance of his duties in the office won for him an international reputation for tact, zeal, and efficiency.
Works
- The Thirteenth District (1902)
- Her Infinite Variety (1904)
- The Happy Average (1904)
- The Turn of the Balance (1907)
- Abraham Lincoln (1908)
- The Gold Brick (1910)
- On the Enforcement of Law in Cities (1910 and 1913)
- Forty Years of It (1914), an autobiography.
- Belgium: a Personal Record (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1919) (ISBN 0-7426-1342-9 May, 2000)
- 2 volumes (661 and 818 pages), 2 frontispieces (portraits)
- Lafayette (1929)
External links
- The Reluctant Hero: Brand Whitlock", WBGU-PBS documentary.