Robert Underwood Johnson
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Robert Underwood Johnson | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Italy | |
In office April 22, 1920 – May 20, 1921 | |
President | Woodrow Wilson |
Preceded by | Thomas Nelson Page |
Succeeded by | Richard Washburn Child |
Personal details | |
Born | Centerville, Indiana, U.S. | January 12, 1853
Died | October 14, 1937 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 84)
Alma mater | Earlham College |
Robert Underwood Johnson (January 12, 1853 – October 14, 1937) was an American writer, poet, and diplomat.
Biography
Robert Underwood Johnson was born in
He attended the Quaker
He married Katharine McMahon on August 31, 1876, in Washington, DC. They had a son,
International copyright
Johnson was a proponent of the establishment of international copyright protections. As secretary of the American Copyright League, he helped get the Law of 1891 passed, for which he was decorated by the French and Italian governments. The silver fruit stand honoring his role is in the collection of the Academy of Arts & Letters. [
Land preservation
Johnson advocated for the forest reservation system and a scientific national policy of conservation.[citation needed] In 1889, after Johnson and naturalist John Muir met in San Francisco, the two camped out together at Soda Springs, in Yosemite Valley; subsequently, in a letter, Johnson encouraged Muir to "start an association" to help protect California's natural wonders, especially the Yosemite – his repeated urging eventually inspired the formation of the Sierra Club in 1892.[1]
Leveraging the influence of The Century, in conjunction with Muir, Johnson was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Yosemite National Park in California in 1890 and in 1913. He served as chairman of a national commission for the preservation of that area and is credited with writing the bill.[citation needed] Muir dedicated his book The Yosemite to Johnson.
Johnson also fought persistently though vainly against the acquisition by the city of
In 2017, a plaque commemorating Johnson’s role in relationship with Muir was erected at Tuolome Meadows – the site where Johnson and Muir held their conversation about land preservation in 1889. Their story was recounted in Ken Burns’s public television series on Our National Parks.
Hall of Fame and American Academy of Arts and Letters
As a founding director of the Hall of Fame of New York University, he helped shape its principles “to instill in both Americans and foreigners, and especially in the youth, the principle of patriotism, a healthy conservatism, and reverence for the traditions of high achievement” along with “respect for scholarship and at the best traditions and standards; secondly, maintenance of the dignity and insistence on the value of literature and the arts; and thirdly, realization that its authority mush rest on the experience and the achievement of its members.” (RY) He became permanent secretary of the American Academy of Arts and Letters whose formation started in 1899 with Johnson successfully proposing the charter from Congress (1916), purchase of the Venetian Renaissance home on 155th Street, NYC, and the raising of funds for an endowment noting the indebtedness to the ‘finest Spanish scholar in America,
“The value of a great institution, like the value of a great personality, lies in the potentiality of its influence. Our national ideas need to be firmly established and maintained on an intellectual plane. ….we also need a revival of the gospel that the glory of man is his mind and his soul; and to remember that these, as well as the body, are exposed to starvation and dwarfism and disease and blindness. …”
• In his book entitled Remembered Yesterdays: “The Temple” RUG poem at the laying for the cornerstone of the Academy’s permanent home. Page 439 is an accounting of the history of the Academy. Said by John Hay” an Academy was more needed in our democracy than in an old-world monarchy, which has its own traditions and inherited standards since here we are more subject to the tyranny of vogue.” As Secretary of the American Committee, he was a driving force for the effort to acquire and preserve as the
Ambassador to Italy
Johnson served as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy from April 1920 to July 1921, and represented the United States as observer at the San Remo conference of the Supreme Council of the League. He was decorated by the Italian government in recognition of his work in behalf of good relations between Italy and the United States.
In 1916 he acted as pallbearer for the funeral of Alexander Wilson Drake, director of the Century Magazine art department and a notable engraver from New Jersey.
Johnson’s activities during World War I afforded him the opportunity to “present the little-known facts of Italy’s important contributions to the Allied cause, and that in general I had written much in prose and verse in admiration of that country and her people.”[citation needed] In 1917 he organized and was chairman of the American Poets' Ambulances in Italy. This organization presented 112 ambulances and 37 field hospitals to the Italian army in four months built from Ford chassis from Milan. In 1918–19 he was president of the New York Committee of the Italian War Relief Fund of America and raised $235,000 which was distributed all over Italy “not merely to minister to the suffering but to show Italians everywhere the sympathy and cooperation of America…the blind, prevention or cure of tuberculosis among children of veterans, benevolent work of San Gregorio in Rome.”[citation needed] After being shown a photograph of a child holding ‘the only doll in the valley’ he wrote a poem by that name, sent out a press appeal and ‘hundreds of dolls’ were distributed to the Val.”[citation needed] He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy from April 1920 to July 1921, and represented the United States as observer at the San Remo conference of the Supreme Council of the League. He was decorated by the Italian government in recognition of his work in behalf of good relations between Italy and the United States.
In his first week on the job, represented the United States as observer at the San Remo conference of the Supreme Council of the League (1920.) In his biography, he describes in some detail bemoaning the lack of an official record of the proceedings or decisions despite momentous topics such as Armenia, status of Constantinople, Yugoslavia, borders and troop positions in Italy, Germany as well as Palestine and the Zionists. “It is amazing how frequently Italy seemed to be in the throes of an inescapable crisis, which, however, passed by like a summer storm – much noise and turmoil but little damage.” Informed by his research into the Civil War, he visited the lower Alps battle fields. His duties were largely socially diplomatic but also included conversations with American business interested in working in Italy including Charles M. Schwab as well as a persistent opposition to Soviet intrusions of any kind. A detailed description of the Celebration of Vittorio Veneto – enemy losses topped 500,000. A description of hosting a dinner for the King and Queen of Denmark is rich in description of rituals, atmosphere and attire. Zeppelin Roma purchased by the US, extensive description of two trips. He, and apparently many in the diplomatic corps, operated independently receiving little operational funding or response to their queries from the US State Department. He was decorated by the Italian government in recognition of his work in behalf of good relations between Italy and the United States.
Honors
For his service in securing an international copyright, he received the honorary A.M. degree from Yale University, the decoration of chevalier in the French Legion of Honor in 1891 and the cavaliers of the Crown of Italy in 1895. In addition, Johnson was made a commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy in 1919, an officer of the Order of
Writings
- with Clarence Clough Buel, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (1887–88)
- The Winter Hour and Other Poems (New York: The Century, 1892).
- Songs of Liberty and Other Poems (New York: The Century, 1897).
- Poems (New York: The Century, 1902).
- Saint Gaudens: An Ode (New York: The Century Co.,third edition, 1910)
- Saint Gaudens: An Ode and Other Poems (Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Col,fourth edition, 1914)
- Poems of War and Peace (Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1916)
- Italian Rhapsody and Other Poems of Italy (Published: By The Author, 745 Fifth Avenue, NY, 1917)
- Collected Poems, 1881–1919 (New Haven: Yale University, 1920).
- "Collected Poems, 1881-1992" (New Haven: Yale University, 1923)
- Remembered Yesterdays (Boston: Little, Brown, 1923).
- Your Hall of Fame: Being an Account of the Origin, Establishment, and History of This Division of New York University, from 1900 to 1935 inclusive (New York: New York University, 1935).
- "Poems of the Longer Flight" (Published: By The Author, 26 East 55th Street, NY, 1928)
- "The Pact and Honor and Other Poems" (Published: By The Author, 1929)
- "Poems of the Lighter Touch" (1930)
- "Poems of Fifty Years" (Published: By The Author, 26 East 55th Street, NY, 1931)
- "Aftermath" (Published: By The Author, NY 745 Fifth Avenue,1933)
- "Heroes, Children and Fun" (Published: By The Author,1934)
References
- ^ Miles, John (April 27, 2023). "Fireside Read – Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite". National Parts Traveler. nationalparkstraveler.org. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
External links
- Works by or about Robert Underwood Johnson at Wikisource
- Guide to the Robert Underwood Johnson papers at The Bancroft Library
- Guide to the Robert Underwood Johnson papers at New York Public Library
- Finding aid to Robert Underwood Johnson papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
- March 19, 1916, New York Times, Says “Vers Libre” Is Prose, Not Poetry; Robert Underwood Johnson Deplores Excesses of Ultra-Modern Writers in Rebellion Against What They Call Tyranny of Form