George Haven Putnam
George Haven Putnam | |
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Born | London, England | April 2, 1844
Died | February 27, 1930 | (aged 85)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Columbia College, 1861 |
Occupations |
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Known for |
George Haven Putnam A.M., Litt.D. (April 2, 1844 – February 27, 1930) was an American publisher, soldier, and writer. He was the president of G. P. Putnam's Sons for its first 52 years, from 1872.
Biography
The eldest son of publisher
He
Putnam enlisted as a Private in the 176th New York Infantry Regiment in December 1862 and was promoted to Sergeant in January, 1863. He was captured at the Battle of LaFourche Crossing but was paroled to his regiment in August 1863. Promoted to First Lieutenant in December 1863 and Adjutant in March 1864, he was captured at the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown, Virginia, and was held for a short time at the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia before being transferred to Danville where he was held until March 1865 when he was returned to the Union forces as part of a prisoner exchange. He attained the rank of major of volunteers. Years later, following the 1911 marking of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, in 1912 George H. Putnam published an account of his experiences titled "A Prisoner of War in Virginia - An Experience in Virginia Prisons During the Last Winter of the War."
[2] At the war's end, Major Putnam joined his father's publishing business, "G. Putnam Broadway." He was also appointed deputy collector of internal revenue.[3] On his father's death in 1872, George H. Putnam took over the business with his brothers John Bishop and Irving, renaming it G. P. Putnam's Sons. He was made president of the firm, a position he held for the next fifty-two years. In 1884 he hired 26-year-old Theodore Roosevelt as a special partner; Roosevelt would write several works published by Putnam.
Like his father, Putnam was active in numerous civic, social, and business causes. He served on the executive committees of the Civil-Service Reform Association, the
He retired in 1924, formally turning the presidency of G. P. Putnam's Sons over to Palmer C. Putnam. He died in 1930, aged 85.
Wives and children
Putnam was first married to Rebecca Kettel Shepard who died of
Putnam married his second wife, the
Writings
Putnam also wrote articles in scholarly and historical publications.
Children's books
- The Artificial Mother (1894)
- The Little Gingerbread Man (1910)
Other
- Authors and Publishers, by G. H. and J. B. Putnam (1882)
- Anecdotes of Luther and the Reformation (1883)
- Books and Their Makers During the Middle Ages, 2 vols. (1896, 1897)
- Washington Irving, His Life and Work (1903)
- Censorship of the Church of Rome and Its Influence Upon the Production and Distribution of Literature, Part 1 (1906)
- Abraham Lincoln (1909); also issued as Project Gutenberg eBook #11728[7]
- A Prisoner of War in Virginia (1912)
- Memories of My Youth (1914)
- Memories of a Publisher (1915)
- Some Memories of the Civil War (1924)
References
- ^ a b One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Homans, James E., ed. (1918). . The Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: The Press Association Compilers, Inc.
- ^ Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- ^ John Fiske (1900). . In Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J. (eds.). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton. George Haven Putnam is discussed toward the end of this article.
- ^ "City Club to Mark 50th Anniversary," New York Times (May 10, 1942).
- ^ Corinna Haven (Putnam) Smith, 1876-1965, SNAC.
- ^ "Mr. Putman's Loving Cup". The New York Times. May 6, 1899.
- ^ Abraham Lincoln by George Haven Putnam at Project Gutenberg
External links
- Works by George Haven Putnam at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about George Haven Putnam at Internet Archive
- Works by George Haven Putnam at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- George Haven Putnam at Library of Congress, with 51 library catalog records