Oliver La Farge
Encyclopedia
Oliver Hazard Perry La Farge (December 19, 1901 - August 2, 1963) was an American
writer and anthropologist, best known for his 1930 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Laughing Boy
.
Named for his uncle, Oliver H.P. La Farge, he was the grandson of the artist and stained-glass pioneer John La Farge, and his wife Margaret Mason Perry. Her father was Christopher Grant Perry, the son of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
and Elizabeth Champlin Mason. He was a descendant of Gov. Thomas Prence
(1599 - March 29, 1673) a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts
, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657–1673); and Elder William Brewster (pilgrim)
, (c. 1567 - April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony
and a passenger on the Mayflower
.
His great-grandmother was Frances Sergeant who was the daughter of Chief Justice Thomas Sergeant and Sarah Bache, the daughter of Sarah Franklin Bache
and Richard Bache
. Frances was a great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin
, one of the Founding Fathers
of the United States of America
and Deborah Read
.
He was the son of the noted Beaux-Arts architect Christopher Grant La Farge
, and father of the folksinger and painter Peter La Farge
.
La Farge's short stories were published in The New Yorker
and Esquire
magazines. His more notable works, fiction and non-fiction, concern Native American
culture.
the son of Christopher Grant La Farge and Florence Bayard Lockwood, the niece of Senator Thomas F. Bayard
. He was named for his ancestor Oliver Hazard Perry
and his uncle, architect Oliver H.P. La Farge I. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University
during 1924 and a Master's Degree from the same university in 1929.
A member of the university rowing
team, he rowed as captain of a men's eight-oared shell.
La Farge, a Newport, Rhode Island
New England
er whose grandfather was of French descent and whose other ancestors included English colonists and (allegedly) Narragansett American Indians, was an anthropologist who discovered two previously unknown languages while on scientific expeditions to Central America and the American Southwest.
He is well-known for his pioneering visit, with Frans Blom
during 1925, to Mexico and what has since become known as the Olmec heartland
, (re)discovering San Martin Pajapan Monument 1
and, most importantly, the ruins of La Venta
, one of the major Olmec
centers.
La Farge also spent much of his adult life championing American Indian rights and was president of the Association on American Indian Affairs for several years.
His published work included several scientific papers and non-fiction books, as well as several novels and a column for the Santa Fe newspaper The New Mexican. Some of his columns were released in book form under the title The Man With the Calabash Pipe.
La Farge had two children by his first wife, heiress Wanden Matthews: a son, Oliver Albee La Farge, and a daughter, Povy; and another son, John Pendaries "Pen" La Farge, by his second wife, Consuelo Baca de La Farge. His 1956 book Behind the Mountains was based on the reminiscences of Consuelo's family, who were ranchers in northern New Mexico
. After La Farge and Matthews divorced in 1935, Oliver Albee changed his name to Peter La Farge
and became a Greenwich Village
folksinger with five Folkways Records
albums.
La Farge died in Santa Fe, New Mexico
, in 1963.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and anthropologist, best known for his 1930 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Laughing Boy
Laughing Boy
Laughing Boy is a 1929 novel by Oliver La Farge about the clash between American culture and that of southwestern Native Americans. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1930.-Plot:...
.
Named for his uncle, Oliver H.P. La Farge, he was the grandson of the artist and stained-glass pioneer John La Farge, and his wife Margaret Mason Perry. Her father was Christopher Grant Perry, the son of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
and Elizabeth Champlin Mason. He was a descendant of Gov. Thomas Prence
Thomas Prence
Thomas Prence was a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth .-Early life:...
(1599 - March 29, 1673) a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657–1673); and Elder William Brewster (pilgrim)
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
, (c. 1567 - April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
and a passenger on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
.
His great-grandmother was Frances Sergeant who was the daughter of Chief Justice Thomas Sergeant and Sarah Bache, the daughter of Sarah Franklin Bache
Sarah Franklin Bache
Sarah Franklin “Sally” Bache was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read.Known as "Sally" throughout her life, she was an ardent American patriot during the Revolutionary War through relief work and as her father's political hostess...
and Richard Bache
Richard Bache
Richard Bache , born in Yorkshire, England, was the son-in-law of Benjamin Franklin. After arriving in Philadelphia from Yorkshire, England, in 1761, Bache prospered as a marine insurance underwriter and importer. In 1767, misfortune struck; debts contracted by him were repudiated by his London...
. Frances was a great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, one of the Founding Fathers
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Deborah Read
Deborah Read
Deborah Read Franklin was the spouse of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and a prominent inventor, printer, thinker, and revolutionary.-Life Before Second Marriage:...
.
He was the son of the noted Beaux-Arts architect Christopher Grant La Farge
Heins & LaFarge
The New York-based architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge, composed of Philadelphia-born architect George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge - the eldest son of the artist John LaFarge, famous especially for his stained glass panels - were responsible most notably for the original...
, and father of the folksinger and painter Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge was a New York-based folksinger and songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s...
.
La Farge's short stories were published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazines. His more notable works, fiction and non-fiction, concern Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture.
Personal life
La Farge was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
the son of Christopher Grant La Farge and Florence Bayard Lockwood, the niece of Senator Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas Francis Bayard was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served three terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware, and as U.S. Secretary of State, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.-Early life and family:Bayard was born in...
. He was named for his ancestor Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
and his uncle, architect Oliver H.P. La Farge I. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
during 1924 and a Master's Degree from the same university in 1929.
A member of the university rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
team, he rowed as captain of a men's eight-oared shell.
La Farge, a Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
er whose grandfather was of French descent and whose other ancestors included English colonists and (allegedly) Narragansett American Indians, was an anthropologist who discovered two previously unknown languages while on scientific expeditions to Central America and the American Southwest.
He is well-known for his pioneering visit, with Frans Blom
Frans Blom
Frans Blom was a Danish explorer and archaeologist....
during 1925, to Mexico and what has since become known as the Olmec heartland
Olmec heartland
The Olmec heartland is the southern portion of Mexico's Gulf Coast region between the Tuxtla mountains and the Olmec archaeological site of La Venta, extending roughly 80 km inland from the Gulf of Mexico coastline at its deepest...
, (re)discovering San Martin Pajapan Monument 1
San Martín Pajapan Monument 1
San Martín Pajapan Monument 1 is a large Olmec basalt sculpture found on top of the San Martin Pajapan volcano, in the Tuxtla Mountains of the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is notable for its original location and its Olmec iconography.-Description:...
and, most importantly, the ruins of La Venta
La Venta
La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo de La Venta", which is in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco....
, one of the major Olmec
Olmec
The Olmec were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco....
centers.
La Farge also spent much of his adult life championing American Indian rights and was president of the Association on American Indian Affairs for several years.
His published work included several scientific papers and non-fiction books, as well as several novels and a column for the Santa Fe newspaper The New Mexican. Some of his columns were released in book form under the title The Man With the Calabash Pipe.
La Farge had two children by his first wife, heiress Wanden Matthews: a son, Oliver Albee La Farge, and a daughter, Povy; and another son, John Pendaries "Pen" La Farge, by his second wife, Consuelo Baca de La Farge. His 1956 book Behind the Mountains was based on the reminiscences of Consuelo's family, who were ranchers in northern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. After La Farge and Matthews divorced in 1935, Oliver Albee changed his name to Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge
Peter La Farge was a New York-based folksinger and songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s...
and became a Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
folksinger with five Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
albums.
La Farge died in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, in 1963.
Works
- Tribes and Temples (with Frans BlomFrans BlomFrans Blom was a Danish explorer and archaeologist....
) 1926-27 - Laughing BoyLaughing BoyLaughing Boy is a 1929 novel by Oliver La Farge about the clash between American culture and that of southwestern Native Americans. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1930.-Plot:...
(1929), novel, the basis for the 1934 motion picture of the same name. - The Year Bearer's People (with Douglas Byers) 1931
- Introduction to American Indian Art (with John Sloan) 1931
- Sparks Fly Upward (1931), novel.
- Long Pennant, 1933
- All the Young Men (1935), collection of short stories.
- The Enemy Gods (1937), novel.
- An Alphabet for Writing the Navajo Language, 1940
- The Changing Indian (editor) 1942
- The Copper Pot, 1942
- War Below Zero (with Corey FordCorey FordCorey Ford was an American humorist, author, outdoorsman, and screenwriter. He was also friendly with several members of the Algonquin Round Table and occasionally ate lunch there....
and Bernt BalchenBernt BalchenBernt Balchen, , a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross was a Norwegian native, and later U.S. citizen, known as a pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. His service in the U.S...
) 1944 - Raw Material (1945), a memoirMemoirA memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
. - Santa Eulalia: The Religion of a Cuchumatan Indian Town (1947), non-fiction.
- The Eagle in the Egg, 1949
- Cochise of Arizona, 1953
- The Mother Ditch, 1954
- A Pictorial History of the American Indian (1956), non-fiction.
- Behind the Mountains (1956), non-fiction.
- A Pause in the Desert (1957), collection of short stories.
- Santa Fe: The Autobiography of a Southwestern Town (with Arthur N. Morgan) 1959
- The Door in the Wall, 1965
- The Man With the Calabash Pipe (edited by Winfield Townley ScottWinfield Townley ScottWinfield Townley Scott was an American poet, critic and diarist.-Life:He was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, seven days after the arrival of Halley's Comet. He graduated from Brown University in 1931....
) 1966
External links
- An Inventory of the Oliver La Farge Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas
- Excerpts from Tribes and Temples at Mesoweb.