Ralph Augustus Graves (October 17, 1924 – June 10, 2013) was an American reporter, editor, and writer. He authored several novels and edited and contributed to famous periodicals such as ''Life'' magazine.

Life

Graves was born October 17, 1924, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to Elizabeth and Ralph Graves. His father was an editor of '' National Geographic'' magazine and ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

''. His mother in 1937 married

Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. (April 30, 1885 – March 29, 1972) was a professor at Harvard Law School, High Commissioner of the Philippines, and a son-in-law of President Woodrow Wilson. Biography He was born on April 30, 1885. He graduated fr ...

, the last United States High Commissioner to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the family resided there in the U.S. Embassy during his term. Graves was a high school student at the time of their arrival. They were evacuated from the embassy on Christmas Eve 1941 to the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur in

Corregidor Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historicall ...

, living in underground bunkers until escaping to Australia by submarine early in 1942. Graves served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. His service began in 1943 and concluded in 1945. Graves attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the armed forces. Graves attended

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

and later,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

where he was a member of the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

honor society. He earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

from Harvard, being graduated in 1948. Graves married Patricia Monser in 1950. Graves' marriage to Monser produced two children before the couple divorced. Graves remarried to Eleanor Mackenzie in 1958 and they also had two children. Graves lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

and maintained a second home in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

, Florida.

Professional career

Graves was employed as a writer and reporter at ''Life'' magazine from 1948 to 1958. He steadily rose through the ranks at ''Life'' magazine, serving as the articles editor, the assistant managing editor, and the managing editor before leaving the publication in 1972. Graves moved to Time, Inc. where he served as the senior staff editor and editorial director, among other positions. Graves was the final Managing Editor of ''Life'' Magazine when it issued the final Edition on December 29, 1972. His comments celebrated Life and reflected the sense of loss of a generation of American's at the loss of Life. Graves was a writer and held a chair on the Citizens' Crime Commission of New York.

Literary works

Graves' writing career began in 1949 with the publication of ''Thanks for the Ride''. His second book, ''The Lost Eagles'', was published in 1955. This is a historical novel in which a fictional Roman, Severus Varus, searches for the legionary emblems lost by his kinsman,

Quinctilius Varus Publius Quinctilius Varus (Cremona, 46 BC – Teutoburg Forest, AD 9) was a Roman general and politician under the first Roman emperor Augustus. Varus is generally remembered for having lost three Roman legions when ambushed by Germanic tribes l ...

, at the

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster () by Roman historians, took place at modern Kalkriese in AD 9, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctil ...

. After a long break from writing books during his time at Life magazine, Graves resumed his literary career with the publication of ''August People'' in 1985. This work was followed in 1989 by ''Share of Honor'', an in-depth look into Graves' personal involvement with the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

occupation of the

during World War II. Graves' novel, ''Orion: The Story of a Rape''. was a fictionalized account of the rape of his daughter that occurred in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

in 1983.

Selected bibliography

* ''Thanks for the Ride'' (1949) * ''The Lost Eagles'' (1955) * ''August People'' (1985) * ''Share of Honor'' (1989) * ''Orion: The Story of a Rape: A Novel'' (1993) * ''Tables of Content'' (1993) (co-written with Eleanor Graves) * ''Martha's Vineyard: An Affectionate Memoir'' (1995) (co-written with Ray G. Ellis) * ''Champagne Kisses, Cyanide Dreams'' (2001)

Death

Graves died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

on June 10, 2013, at his home in Manhattan.Ralph Graves, a Managing Editor of Life Magazine, Dies at 88
Accessed June 15, 2013.

References

External links

Summary of ''Rape: A Family's Nightmare'' at the Biography Reference Bank

Some biographical detail provided in a letter by Ralph Graves about a kitsch statue proposed for placement on the Sarasota bay front

Graves at the Biography Resource Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Ralph 1924 births 2013 deaths Writers from Washington, D.C. American reporters and correspondents 20th-century American novelists Deaths from kidney failure United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Harvard University alumni American male novelists Williams College alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers United States Army Air Forces soldiers