Sloan Wilson
Encyclopedia
Sloan Wilson was an American
author.
, Wilson graduated from Harvard University
in 1942. He served in World War II
, serving in the United States Coast Guard
, commanding a naval trawler
on the Greenland
patrol and an army supply ship in the Pacific Ocean
.
After the war, Wilson worked as a reporter for Time-Life
. His first book, Voyage to Somewhere, was published in 1947 and drew on his wartime experiences. He also published stories in The New Yorker
, and worked as a college professor at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
.
(1955) and A Summer Place
(1958), both of which were adapted into motion pictures. In his next novel, A Sense of Values, protagonist Nathan Bond was a disenchanted cartoonist caught up in adultery and alcoholism; it was not well received. In Georgie Winthrop, an over-the-hill 45-year-old college vice president takes up with the bohemian 17-year-old daughter of his childhood love. The novel The Ice Brothers is loosely based on Wilson's experiences in Greenland while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. The memoir What Shall We Wear to This Party? recalls his experiences in the Coast Guard during World War II and the changes to his life after the bestseller Gray Flannel was published.
Wilson was an advocate for integrating, funding and improving public schools, and became assistant director of the National Citizens Commission for Public Schools as well as assistant director of the 1955-56 White House Conference on Education.
throughout his life, and Alzheimer's disease
towards the end. In addition to novels and magazine articles, he supported himself in his later years by writing commissioned works such as biographies and yacht histories. He was living in Colonial Beach, Virginia
at the time of his death.
Wilson was married twice, first to Elise Pickhardt in 1941, then to Betty Stephens in 1962. He had four children. His daughter Lisa is a published author, and his son David Sloan Wilson
is an evolutionary biologist. His daughter Rebecca is a nurse.
A copy of one of Wilson's books, Ice Brothers, was used to conceal a bomb by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski
. On June 10, 1980 the president of United Airlines, Percy Wood, received a parcel in the mail at his home in Lake Forest
, Illinois
, which contained a copy. When he opened the book, a bomb concealed inside exploded, severely injuring him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author.
Reporter
Born in Norwalk, ConnecticutNorwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, Wilson graduated 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...
in 1942. He served in 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...
, serving in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, commanding a naval trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
on the Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
patrol and an army supply ship in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
After the war, Wilson worked as a reporter for Time-Life
Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
. His first book, Voyage to Somewhere, was published in 1947 and drew on his wartime experiences. He also published stories 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 worked as a college professor at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
.
Novelist
Wilson wrote fifteen books, including the best-sellers The Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson, is a 1955 novel about the American search for purpose in a world dominated by business. Tom and Betsy Rath share a struggle to find contentment in their hectic and material culture while several other characters fight essentially the same battle,...
(1955) and A Summer Place
A Summer Place
A Summer Place is a 1958 novel by Sloan Wilson, a follow-on to The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. It was adapted into a 1959 film of the same name.-Plot summary:...
(1958), both of which were adapted into motion pictures. In his next novel, A Sense of Values, protagonist Nathan Bond was a disenchanted cartoonist caught up in adultery and alcoholism; it was not well received. In Georgie Winthrop, an over-the-hill 45-year-old college vice president takes up with the bohemian 17-year-old daughter of his childhood love. The novel The Ice Brothers is loosely based on Wilson's experiences in Greenland while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. The memoir What Shall We Wear to This Party? recalls his experiences in the Coast Guard during World War II and the changes to his life after the bestseller Gray Flannel was published.
Wilson was an advocate for integrating, funding and improving public schools, and became assistant director of the National Citizens Commission for Public Schools as well as assistant director of the 1955-56 White House Conference on Education.
Personal
He suffered from alcoholismAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
throughout his life, and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
towards the end. In addition to novels and magazine articles, he supported himself in his later years by writing commissioned works such as biographies and yacht histories. He was living in Colonial Beach, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
at the time of his death.
Wilson was married twice, first to Elise Pickhardt in 1941, then to Betty Stephens in 1962. He had four children. His daughter Lisa is a published author, and his son David Sloan Wilson
David Sloan Wilson
David Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is a son of the author Sloan Wilson.-Academic career:...
is an evolutionary biologist. His daughter Rebecca is a nurse.
A copy of one of Wilson's books, Ice Brothers, was used to conceal a bomb by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski
Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the "Unabomber" , is an American mathematician, social critic, anarcho-primitivist, and Neo-Luddite who engaged in a mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others.Kaczynski was born in Chicago, Illinois,...
. On June 10, 1980 the president of United Airlines, Percy Wood, received a parcel in the mail at his home in Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, which contained a copy. When he opened the book, a bomb concealed inside exploded, severely injuring him.
Novels
- Voyage to Somewhere (1947)
- The Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson, is a 1955 novel about the American search for purpose in a world dominated by business. Tom and Betsy Rath share a struggle to find contentment in their hectic and material culture while several other characters fight essentially the same battle,...
(1955) - A Summer PlaceA Summer PlaceA Summer Place is a 1958 novel by Sloan Wilson, a follow-on to The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. It was adapted into a 1959 film of the same name.-Plot summary:...
(1958) - A Sense of Values (1961)
- Georgie Winthrop (1963)
- Janus Island (1967)
- Away from It All (1970)
- All the Best People (1971)
- Small Town (1978)
- Ice Brothers (1979)
- Greatest Crime (1980)
- Pacific Interlude (1982)
- Man in the Gray Flannel Suit II (1984)
Short fiction
- "The Best and Most Powerful Machines" (Harper's Magazine, June 1946)
- "The Octopus" (The New Yorker, June 1946)
- "The Wonderful Plans" (The New Yorker, December 1946)
- "Check for $90,000" (The New Yorker, February 1947)
- "Bearer of Bad Tidings" (The New Yorker, March 1947)
- "Housewarming" (The New Yorker, May 1947)
- "A Very Old Man" (The New Yorker, September 1947)
- "Drunk on the Train" (The New Yorker, January 1948)
- "The Reunion" (The New Yorker, March 1948)
- "Bygones" (The New Yorker, June 1949)
- "The Alarm Clock" (The New Yorker, February 1951)
- "The Powder Keg" (The New Yorker, October 1951)
- "The Black Mollies" (Harper's Magazine, December 1951)
- "A Sword for my Children" (The New Yorker, December 1951)
- "A Letter of Admonition" (The New Yorker, December 1951)
- "Citation" (The New Yorker, February 1952)
- "The Cook and the Book" (The New Yorker, April 1952)
- "The Disappearance" (The New Yorker, May 1952)
- "The News" (The New Yorker, June 1952)
- "The Regatta" (The New Yorker, June 1952)
- "A Friendship Sloop" (The New Yorker, April 1953)
- "Lollapalooza and the Rogers Rock Hotel" (The New Yorker, October 1953)
Poetry
- The Soldiers who Sit (The New Yorker, January 1945)
- Cup and Lip (The New Yorker, March 1946)
Nonfiction
- Public Schools Are Better Than You Think (Harper's Mazine, September 1955)
- It's Time to Close Our Carnival (Life, March 24, 1958)
- The American Way of Birth (Harper's Magazine, July 1964)
- The Heirs of Captain Slocum: Alone At Sea (Harper's Magazine, August 1980)
- What Shall We Wear to This Party?: The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Twenty Years Before And After (1976)