William L. Alden
| William Livingston Alden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 9, 1837[1] Williamstown, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 14, 1908 (aged 70)[1] |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Alden |
William Livingston Alden (1837–1908) was a prominent American journalist, author, humorist, canoe enthusiast, and diplomat.
He was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts on October 9, 1837. He attended Lafayette College; he transferred to Jefferson College after his father, Joseph Alden, was elected president.[2]
He graduated from Jefferson in 1858 and read law in New York City with William M. Evarts, joining the bar in 1860.[3] He practiced law until 1866.[3][4] He then became a journalist, writing for the Scribner’s Monthly, The Atlantic, New York World and Daily Graphic.[1][3] He later worked on the editorial staff of the New York Times and produced a weekly column called ""Minor Topics."[5] He also wrote humor pieces and juvenile fiction.[6] While in New York City he became an early member of the Theosophical Society, an esoteric organisation founded by Helena Blavatsky in 1875.[7]
He is also credited with bringing the sport of canoeing to the United States.[6][8] He founded the New York Canoe Club in 1871, which was the first canoeing organization in America.[9] He was a founding member of the American Canoe Association and served as the first Commodore.[10]
He was appointed Consul General in Rome by President Grover Cleveland in 1885, a position he held until 1890.[6] He then lived in Paris, writing for the New York Herald, and later living and writing in London.[1] He died in 1908.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Riley, Sam G. (1995). "Alden, William Livingston". Biographical dictionary of American newspaper columnists. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 6.
- ↑ "Jefferson College 1802-1865". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on 2009-05-01.
- 1 2 3 Jennings Coffin, Selden; William Baxter Owen. "William Livingston Alden, A.M.". Record of the men of Lafayette: Brief biographical sketches of the alumni of Lafayette College from its organization to the present time. Lafayette College. p. 210.
- ↑ Biographical and Historical Catalogue of Washington and Jefferson College. Elm Street Printing Company. 1889. p. 211.
- ↑ The column was later renamed Topics of the Times in 1896 with Frederick Craig Mortimer as the author until 1926, when it was taken over by Simeon Strunsky until 1946.
- 1 2 3 4 "THE LIFEWORK OF WILLIAM L. ALDEN; Highly Esteemed Both Sides the Atlantic for His Clever Writings. FAMOUS AS A HUMORIST Consul General at Rome Under Cleveland -- First Commodore of American Canoe Association.". New York Times. 1908-01-16. Archived from the original on 1908-01-16.
- ↑ Gary Lachman (2012). Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. p. 136.
- ↑ "The Cruising Canoe and its Outfit". Harper's New Monthly Magazine. Harper & Brothers. August 1880.
- ↑ Hoffman, Ronald C. (June 1967). "The Formation and Growth of the American Canoe Association" (PDF). Ph.D. Dissertation. American Canoe Association.
- ↑ "Commodores / Presidents". American Canoe Association. 2008.
External links
- Works by William L. Alden at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about William L. Alden at Internet Archive
- Works by William L. Alden at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Many classic W. L. Alden short stories are read in Mister Ron's Basement Podcast, now indexed to make them easy to find
|