Poultney Bigelow
Encyclopedia
Poultney Bigelow was an American
journalist and author.
He was born in New York City
, the fourth of eight children of John Bigelow
, co-owner of the New York Evening Post, and his wife Jane Tunis Poultney.
In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War
, when Bigelow was six years old, his father was appointed United States consul in Paris
, and subsequently (1865) Minister to France, and Poultney was sent to a Potsdam preparatory school. While there he became a friend of Prince Wilhelm and his younger brother, Prince Henry
, playing "Cowboys and Indians" with them in the schoolyard. His friendship and correspondence with the Kaiser continued throughout their lives, though their relations became somewhat more reserved just before World War II
as a result of some of the opinions expressed in Bigelow's articles. For a time, Bigelow was an admirer of both Adolf Hitler
and Benito Mussolini
—an admiration which ended when they demonstrated their violent natures.
Bigelow entered Yale College
in 1873. For reasons of health, he took a two-year leave from studies, sailing for the Orient, which left him shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. He returned to Yale and graduated in 1879. He obtained a law degree from Columbia Law School
and practiced briefly.
His chief occupation from the 1880s till his retirement in 1906 was as an author and journalist. He traveled extensively, and wrote often on the subject. He was a London correspondent for several American publications and was correspondent for The Times
(of London) in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
. He was a voluminous correspondent with the leading figures of the day, including Roger Casement
, Henry George
, Mark Twain
, Geraldine Farrar
, Percy Grainger
, Frederic Remington
, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Israel Zangwill
and George S. Viereck.
He was the author of eleven books, including a two-volume autobiography, and several on history and colonial administration.
He founded the first American magazine devoted to amateur sports, Outing, in 1885.
Bigelow married twice. His first wife, with whom he had three daughters, was Edith Evelyn Joffrey (Jaffray)[1889 NY Social Register]. They married 16 April 1884, and divorced in 1902. His second wife, Lillian Pritchard, was a librarian in the library founded by John Bigelow at Malden. She died on 1 December 1932.
He retired to his family's home at Malden-on-Hudson.
In 1930, at the age of 74, he noted that "it's hell to live so long", but still made annual trips to visit the Kaiser at Doorn
.
He entered the Dale Sanitarium on 14 January 1954, where he died at the age of 98, at which time he was Yale's oldest alumnus, and the oldest member of the Athenaeum
of London.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and author.
He was born in New York City
New 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 fourth of eight children of John Bigelow
John Bigelow
John Bigelow was an American lawyer and statesman.-Life:Born in Malden-on-Hudson, New York, John Bigelow, Sr.graduated from Union College in 1835 where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Society and the Philomathean Society, and was admitted to the bar in 1838...
, co-owner of the New York Evening Post, and his wife Jane Tunis Poultney.
In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when Bigelow was six years old, his father was appointed United States consul in 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...
, and subsequently (1865) Minister to France, and Poultney was sent to a Potsdam preparatory school. While there he became a friend of Prince Wilhelm and his younger brother, Prince Henry
Prince Heinrich of Prussia
Prince Henry of Prussia was a younger brother of German Emperor William II and a Prince of Prussia...
, playing "Cowboys and Indians" with them in the schoolyard. His friendship and correspondence with the Kaiser continued throughout their lives, though their relations became somewhat more reserved just before World War II
World 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...
as a result of some of the opinions expressed in Bigelow's articles. For a time, Bigelow was an admirer of both Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
—an admiration which ended when they demonstrated their violent natures.
Bigelow entered Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1873. For reasons of health, he took a two-year leave from studies, sailing for the Orient, which left him shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. He returned to Yale and graduated in 1879. He obtained a law degree from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
and practiced briefly.
His chief occupation from the 1880s till his retirement in 1906 was as an author and journalist. He traveled extensively, and wrote often on the subject. He was a London correspondent for several American publications and was correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(of London) in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. He was a voluminous correspondent with the leading figures of the day, including Roger Casement
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement —Sir Roger Casement CMG between 1911 and shortly before his execution for treason, when he was stripped of his British honours—was an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist....
, Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar was an American soprano opera singer and film actress, noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following among young women, who were nicknamed "Gerry-flappers".- Early life and opera career :Farrar was born in Melrose,...
, Percy Grainger
Percy Grainger
George Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...
, Frederic Remington
Frederic Remington
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U. S...
, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Israel Zangwill
Israel Zangwill
Israel Zangwill was a British humorist and writer.-Biography:Zangwill was born in London on January 21, 1864 in a family of Jewish immigrants from Czarist Russia, to Moses Zangwill from what is now Latvia and Ellen Hannah Marks Zangwill from what is now Poland. He dedicated his life to championing...
and George S. Viereck.
He was the author of eleven books, including a two-volume autobiography, and several on history and colonial administration.
He founded the first American magazine devoted to amateur sports, Outing, in 1885.
Bigelow married twice. His first wife, with whom he had three daughters, was Edith Evelyn Joffrey (Jaffray)[1889 NY Social Register]. They married 16 April 1884, and divorced in 1902. His second wife, Lillian Pritchard, was a librarian in the library founded by John Bigelow at Malden. She died on 1 December 1932.
He retired to his family's home at Malden-on-Hudson.
In 1930, at the age of 74, he noted that "it's hell to live so long", but still made annual trips to visit the Kaiser at Doorn
Huis Doorn
Huis Doorn is a small manor house that lies outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht, in the Netherlands. The 15th-century house was rebuilt in the late 18th century in a conservative manner and, in the mid-19th century, a surrounding park was laid out as an English landscape garden...
.
He entered the Dale Sanitarium on 14 January 1954, where he died at the age of 98, at which time he was Yale's oldest alumnus, and the oldest member of the Athenaeum
Athenaeum Club, London
The Athenaeum Club, usually just referred to as the Athenaeum, is a notable London club with its Clubhouse located at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place....
of London.
Works
- 1889 - The German emperor
- 1892 - The German emperor and his eastern neighbors
- 1892 - Paddles and politics down the Danube
- 1895 - The German Struggle for Liberty
- 1895 - The borderland of czar and kaiser. Notes from both sides of the Russian frontier
- 1896 - History of the German struggle for liberty
- 1897 - White man's Africa
- 1900 - China against the world
- 1901- The children of the nations; a study of colonization and its problems
- 1915 - An American's opinion of British colonial policy
- 1915 - Prussian memories, 1864-1914
- 1918 - Britain, mother of colonies
- 1918 - Genseric, king of the Vandals and the first Prussian kaiser
- 1919 - Prussianism and pacifism; the two Wilhelms between the revolutions of 1848 and 1918
- 1923 - Japan and her colonies, being extracts from a diary made whilst visiting Formosa, Manchuria, and Shantun in the year 1921
- 1925 - Seventy summers
Sources
- New York Times, 29 May 1955, obituary
- Poultney Bigelow. "The Russian and His Jew." Harper's, vol. 57, #526, April 1894, pp. 603-14.
- Poultney, Bigelow "The German Struggle for Liberty" Harper's, Oct 1895