Paul Cushing Child
Encyclopedia
Paul Cushing Child is best known as the husband of world-renowned celebrity chef, Julia Child
.
, where Paul Child attended Boston Latin School
. After graduating from Columbia College, Paul Child moved with his mother and brother to Paris
where he pursued his interest in art. He later became a teacher in France
, Italy
, and back in the United States
, giving instruction in various subjects including photography, English, and French. Child also taught judo
and was a fourth class
black belt
.
, Child joined the OSS
. While stationed in Ceylon he met Julia McWilliams, who also worked for the OSS. They married on September 1, 1946 in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
, and later moved to Washington, D.C.
Child was known for his sophisticated palate. After he finished his work with the OSS, Child joined the United States Foreign Service
and introduced his wife to fine cuisine. In 1948, the U.S. State Department
assigned Child to be an exhibits officer with the United States Information Agency
. While in Paris, his wife took up cooking and became a student at the famed Paris cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu
.
After five years in Paris, Child was reassigned to Marseilles, Bonn
, and Oslo
. Child retired from the government services in 1961.
In April 1955, he was summoned from Bonn to undergo interrogation in Washington, D.C. While there, he was questioned about his political beliefs and the political beliefs of his co-workers. Specifically, he was questioned about Jane Foster, a friend of the Childs during World War II. Feeling his privacy had been violated through the interrogation, Child and his wife's opposition to the Senate investigations, spearheaded at that time by Senator Joseph McCarthy
, was reinforced.
, Massachusetts
, where his wife wrote cookbooks and he supplied photographs and illustrations for them. Child was also known as a poet who frequently wrote about his wife. His prose was later celebrated in an authorized biography of Julia. In Appetite for Life, portions of the letters he wrote to his twin brother, Charles, while the Childs lived abroad were included as illustration of his love and admiration for his wife and her cooking skills and talent.
Child was a frequent guest on his wife's television cooking show, The French Chef
, which first aired in 1963.
Paul Child died at a nursing home in Lexington, Massachusetts
on May 12, 1994, following a long illness. His wife died on August 13th, 2004.
Paul Child was portrayed by Stanley Tucci
in the 2009 comedy-drama film Julie & Julia
, which was adapted in part from Julia Child's memoir My Life in France
.
, A Covert Affair: Julia and Paul Child in the OSS (NY: Simon & Schuster, 2011), ISBN 1-43916-352-9
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
.
Early life
Child was born in Montclair, NJ on January 15, 1902 to Bertha Cushing and Charles Triplet Child. His twin brother was named Charles. When he and his brother were 6 months old, their father died and the twins moved with their mother to her family's home in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where Paul Child attended Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
. After graduating from Columbia College, Paul Child moved with his mother and brother to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he pursued his interest in art. He later became a teacher in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and back in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, giving instruction in various subjects including photography, English, and French. Child also taught judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and was a fourth class
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
.
Government service and marriage
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Child joined the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
. While stationed in Ceylon he met Julia McWilliams, who also worked for the OSS. They married on September 1, 1946 in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
Lumberville, Pennsylvania
Lumberville, Pennsylvania is a village on the Delaware River in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with a zip code of 18933. It is seven miles north of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and is located along River Road....
, and later moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Child was known for his sophisticated palate. After he finished his work with the OSS, Child joined the United States Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
and introduced his wife to fine cuisine. In 1948, the U.S. State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
assigned Child to be an exhibits officer with the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
. While in Paris, his wife took up cooking and became a student at the famed Paris cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu is the world's largest hospitality education institution, with 35 schools on five continents serving 20,000 students annually. Its primary education focus is on hospitality management and the culinary arts...
.
After five years in Paris, Child was reassigned to Marseilles, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Child retired from the government services in 1961.
In April 1955, he was summoned from Bonn to undergo interrogation in Washington, D.C. While there, he was questioned about his political beliefs and the political beliefs of his co-workers. Specifically, he was questioned about Jane Foster, a friend of the Childs during World War II. Feeling his privacy had been violated through the interrogation, Child and his wife's opposition to the Senate investigations, spearheaded at that time by Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
, was reinforced.
Later years
Following his retirement, the Childs relocated to CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where his wife wrote cookbooks and he supplied photographs and illustrations for them. Child was also known as a poet who frequently wrote about his wife. His prose was later celebrated in an authorized biography of Julia. In Appetite for Life, portions of the letters he wrote to his twin brother, Charles, while the Childs lived abroad were included as illustration of his love and admiration for his wife and her cooking skills and talent.
Child was a frequent guest on his wife's television cooking show, The French Chef
The French Chef
The French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
, which first aired in 1963.
Paul Child died at a nursing home in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
on May 12, 1994, following a long illness. His wife died on August 13th, 2004.
Paul Child was portrayed by Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
in the 2009 comedy-drama film Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
, which was adapted in part from Julia Child's memoir My Life in France
My Life in France
My Life in France is an autobiography by Julia Child, published in 2006. It was compiled by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, her husband's grandnephew, during the last eight months of her life, and completed and published by Prud'homme following her death in August 2004.In her own words, it is a...
.
Sources
Conant, JennetJennet Conant
Jennet Conant is an American journalist and the author of three books about World War II that have all appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list....
, A Covert Affair: Julia and Paul Child in the OSS (NY: Simon & Schuster, 2011), ISBN 1-43916-352-9