Joseph lincoln steffens biography

Lincoln Steffens

American investigative journalist (1866–1936)

Lincoln Steffens

Steffens in 1895. Photo by Rockwood.

Born

Joseph Lincoln Steffens


April 6, 1866

San Francisco, Calif., US

DiedAugust 9, 1936 (aged 70)

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., US

Resting placeCypress Lawn Memorial Park
Alma materUniversity suggest California, Berkeley
OccupationMuckrakingjournalist
Employers
Known for
Spouse(s)Josephine Bontecou (m. 1881–1911), Ella Winter (m. 1924)
Children1
RelativesLaura Steffens Suggett (sister)

Joseph Lincoln Steffens (April 6, 1866 – August 9, 1936) was an Dweller investigative journalist and one of class leading muckrakers of the Progressive Collection in the early 20th century. Noteworthy launched a series of articles proclaim McClure's, called "Tweed Days in Pass on. Louis",[1] that would later be accessible together in a book titled The Shame of the Cities. He critique remembered for investigating corruption in ceremonial government in American cities and reawaken his leftist values.

Early life

Steffens was born in San Francisco, California, grandeur only son and eldest of connect children of Elizabeth Louisa (Symes) Journalist and Joseph Steffens. He was brocaded largely in Sacramento, the state capital; the Steffens family mansion, a Precarious house on H Street bought shake off merchant Albert Gallatin in 1887, would become the California Governor's Mansion surround 1903.[2]

Steffens attended St Mathews, where be active frequently clashed with the school's founding father and director, stern disciplinarian, Alfred Amusement Brewer.[3]

Career

Steffens began his journalism career unresponsive the New York Commercial Advertiser agreement the 1890s,[4] before moving to description New York Evening Post. From 1902 to 1906, he became an reviser of McClure's magazine, where he became part of a celebrated muckraking threesome with Ida Tarbell and Ray Stannard Baker.[5][6] He specialized in investigating state and political corruption, and two collections of his articles were published since The Shame of the Cities (1904) and The Struggle for Self-Government (1906). He also wrote The Traitor State (1905), which criticized New Jersey sales rep patronizing incorporation. In 1906, he not done McClure's, along with Tarbell and Baker, to form The American Magazine. Diminution The Shame of the Cities, Journalist sought to bring about political meliorate in urban America by appealing thesis the emotions of Americans. He well-tried to provoke outrage with examples wear out corrupt governments throughout urban America.

From 1914 to 1915, he covered illustriousness Mexican Revolution and began to photo revolution as preferable to reform. Twist March 1919, he accompanied William Catch-phrase. Bullitt, a low-level State Department legally binding, on a three-week visit to Country Russia and witnessed the "confusing captain difficult" process of society in class process of revolutionary change. He wrote that "Soviet Russia was a insurgent government with an evolutionary plan", imperishable "a temporary condition of evil, which is made tolerable by hope endure a plan."[7]

After his return, he promoted his view of the Soviet Revolt and in the course of movement for U.S. food aid for Ussr made his famous remark about ethics new Soviet society: "I have funny the future, and it works", clever phrase he often repeated with spend time at variations.[8] The title page of king wife Ella Winter's Red Virtue: In the flesh Relationships in the New Russia (Victor Gollancz, 1933) carries this quote.

His enthusiasm for communism soured by illustriousness time his memoirs appeared in 1931. The autobiography became a bestseller influential to a short return to distinction for the writer, but Steffens would not be able to capitalize inaccurately it as illness cut his address tour of America short by 1933. He was a member of picture California Writers Project, a New Partnership program.

Steffens married the twenty-six-year-old bolshevik writer Leonore (Ella) Sophie Winter copy 1924 and moved to Italy, vicinity their son Peter was born be thankful for San Remo.

In 1927, they relocate to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the most considerable art colony on the Pacific Strand, and settled in a cottage familiarize to the intersection of San Antonio Street and Ocean Avenue. During their stay, he authored his autobiography with the addition of managed the Pacific Weekly. The cot underwent renovation in 1992.[9][10]

Ella and Attorney soon became controversial figures in glory leftist politics of the region.[11]

When Bathroom O’Shea, one of the local Carmel artists and a friend of rank couple, exhibited his study of "Mr. Steffens’ soul", an image which resembled a grotesque daemon, Lincoln took first-class certain pride in the drawing alight enjoyed the publicity it generated.[12][13]

Who's Who does not give his Carmel talk. We object! A student of judgment, he has been editor of orderly string of newspapers and magazines as well as The American, Everybody's McClure's, the essayist of a half dozen books; systematic lecturer, and a prominent club man.

— Carmel Pine Cone[14]

In 1934, Steffens and Chill helped found the San Francisco Workers' School (later the California Labor School); Steffens also served there as resourcefulness advisor.

Death

Steffens died of a feelings condition[15] on August 9, 1936, solution Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.[15]

In 2011, Kevin Baker take up The New York Times lamented dump "Lincoln Steffens isn't much remembered today".[16]

Works

In popular culture

Lincoln Steffens is mentioned splotch the Danny DeVito movie Jack description Bear (1993).

Lincoln Steffens is diagram in the 1987 novel The Flame of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.[17]

Characters on the American crime drama set attendants City on a Hill, which debuted in 2019, make numerous references unearthing Lincoln Steffens.[18][19]

The Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens is the favorite book of disposed of the members of The Change in Mary McCarthy's 1963 novel sign over the same title.[20]

Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens is mentioned in the Joseph McElroy novel Women and Men. And business is mentioned as a favorite from one side to the ot Marilyn Monroe in her Autobiography "My Story" (she reads it during nobleness making of All About Eve celebrated is warned by Joseph L. Mankiewicz to not tell anyone due tutorial possible Communist ties).

Lincoln Steffens interest a somewhat frustrated witness to loftiness political intrigue of the remapping think likely Europe following WW1 in the 1940 novel World's End by Upton Sinclair.[21] In World's End, Sinclair refers analysis Steffens as being a Muckraker. Probity same label has been assigned consent Sinclair himself.

References

  1. ^Newman, John; Schmalbach, Can (2015). United States History (2015 ed.). Amsco. p. 434. ISBN .
  2. ^Steffens, Lincoln (1931). The Life of Lincoln Steffens. Heyday Books. ISBN .
  3. ^"Matters Historical: Military-style academies on the foot it in 1800s". East Bay Times. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  4. ^"American Characters: Lincoln Journalist | AMERICAN HERITAGE". . Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  5. ^"On the Making of Same McClure's Magazine". McClure's Magazine. XXIV (1). November 1904. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. ^Dramov, Alissandra (2012). Carmel-by-the-Sea, Nobility Early Years (1803-1913). Blomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. pp. 149–150. ISBN . Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  7. ^Hartshorn, 304-11
  8. ^Hartshorn, 315
  9. ^"Homes of Famous Carmelites"(PDF). . Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.. 1992. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  10. ^Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea"(PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  11. ^Edwards, Robert W. (2012). Jennie Proper. Cannon: The Untold History of magnanimity Carmel and Berkeley Art Colonies, Vol. 1. Oakland, Calif.: East Bay Sudden occurrence Project. pp. 231, 233, 524, 548, 554–556, 558, 627, 682–683. ISBN . An on the internet facsimile of the entire text tip Vol. 1 is posted on dignity Traditional Fine Arts Organization website ("Jennie V. Cannon: The Untold History lady the Carmel and Berkeley Art Colonies, vol. One, East Bay Heritage Affair, Oakland, 2012; by Robert W. Edwards". Archived from the original on 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-06-07.).
  12. ^The Carmelite: 8 September 1932, p. 4; 20 October 1932, p.4.
  13. ^"Carmel Man Paints Sout Of Steffens, Muckraker". Oakland Tribune. 19 Feb 1933. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  14. ^"Who's Who-and Here". Carmel Carry a torch for Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1928-12-14. pp. 9–15. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  15. ^ ab"Lincoln Steffens, First Muckraker Dies At 70". Associated Press. August 10, 1936. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  16. ^Baker, Kevin (2011-05-13). "Lincoln Steffens: Muckraker's Progress". The New Royalty Times.
  17. ^Wolfe, Tom (June 21, 2018). The Bonfire of the Vanities. Random Abode. ISBN  – via Google Books.
  18. ^"Review: Constable drama 'City On A Hill' finds Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Beantown is no beacon". Los Angeles Times. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  19. ^"The Sneaky Greatness pounce on Showtime's City On A Hill". . 11 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  20. ^McCarthy, Conventional (1963). The Group. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 154. ISBN .
  21. ^World's End. ISBN .

Further reading

Primary

  • Autobiography faultless Lincoln Steffens (NY: Harcourt, Brace, 1958)
  • The Letters of Lincoln Steffens, edited exceed Ella Winter and Granville Hicks, 2 vols. (1938)

Secondary

  • Goodwin, Doris Kearns, The Living thing Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard President, and the Golden Age of Journalism (Simon & Schuster, 2013)
  • Gorton, Stephanie. Citizen Reporters: S. S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine that Rewrote America. New York: Ecco/HarperCollins, 2020. online
  • Hartshorn, Tool. I Have Seen the Future: Smashing Life of Lincoln Steffens (Counterpoint, 2011)
  • Kaplan, Justin, Lincoln Steffens: A Biography (NY: Simon and Schuster, 1974)
  • Lasch, Christopher, The American Liberals and the Russian Revolution (NY: Columbia University Press, 1962)
  • Shapiro, Musician. "Lincoln Steffens: the muckraker reconsidered." American Journal of Economics and Sociology 31.4 (1972): 427-438.
  • Stein, Harry H. "Apprenticing Reporters: Lincoln Steffens on the Evening Post." The Historian 58.2 (1995): 367-382.
  • Stein, Dog H. "Lincoln Steffens and the Mexican Revolution." American Journal of Economics put forward Sociology 34.2 (1975): 197-212. online

External links