James Walker Benét
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James Walker Benét (1914 – December 16, 2012) was an American journalist, author, and reporter for the
Background
Benét was born in 1914 in New York City.
Academics and involvement in Spanish Civil War
Benét graduated from Stanford University in 1935.[1] He worked at The New Republic after college, before going to Spain to fight with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.[1] He was a brigade combat soldier and ambulance driver from 1936 to 1937, later leaving Spain when the war turned in favor of Francisco Franco.[1] In a 2012 interview with Public Radio International, Benét explained his reasoning for joining the war, "If the moment comes when it's the obvious right thing and somebody's got to do it, maybe it's going to be you...I always felt that I was on the right side of history in Spain."[1]
Newspaper career
He worked as a reporter for The New Republic and the
Benét joined the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle in 1947 as a
Benét later transitioned from a copy editor to education reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Married life and death
James Benét was married three times. He and his first wife, actress Mary Liles, divorced.[1] He then married Jane Gugel, the San Francisco Chronicle food editor and columnist who wrote under the pen name "Jane Friendly."[1] Following Gugel's death, Benét married her sister-in-law, Ruth Gugel, who later died, leaving him a widower.[1]
Benét died in Santa Rosa, California, on December 16, 2012, at the age of 98.[1] He had resided in Forestville, California.[1]