Rupert Hughes
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Rupert Raleigh Hughes (January 31, 1872 – September 9, 1956) was an American novelist, film director,
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-nominated screenwriter, military officer, and music composer. He was the brother of Howard R. Hughes Sr. and uncle of billionaire Howard R. Hughes Jr. His three-volume scholarly biography of
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
broke new ground in demythologizing Washington and was well received by historians. A staunch
anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
, in the 1940s he served as president of the American Writers Association, a group of anti-Communist writers.


Early life

Hughes was born on January 31, 1872, in
Lancaster, Missouri Lancaster is a city in Schuyler County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 675. It is the county seat of Schuyler County. Lancaster is part of the Kirksville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post off ...
, the son of Jean Amelia (née Summerlin; 1842–1928) and Judge Felix Moner Hughes (1837–1926). He spent his early years in the Lancaster area until age seven when the family moved to
Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...
, where his father established a successful law practice. Hughes first published a poem while still a child growing up in Lancaster. After receiving his basic public education in Keokuk and at a private military academy near
St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...
, he attended
Western Reserve Academy Western Reserve Academy (WRA), or simply Reserve, is a private, midsized, coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located in Hudson, Ohio, United States. A boarding school, Western Reserve Academy is largely a residential ...
preparatory school in
Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in northern Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan area. John Brown made his first public vow to destroy slavery here and the ci ...
. At age 16, he entered
Adelbert College Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
in
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, now known as
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
. Hughes was a noted founding member of the student newspaper ''The Adelbert'' beginning in 1890, contributing numerous submissions of poems, satire, comedy, and storytelling. Hughes earned his BA in 1892 and MA in 1894. Intending a career teaching English Literature, he later attended
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, earning a second MA in 1899.


Career


As writer

By the time of his Yale degree, Hughes had already given up the idea of a staid life in academia for a new career as an author. His first book, 1898's ''The Lakerim Athletic Club'', came from a serialized magazine story for boys. Hughes often blurred the lines of job description in his early years, working at various times as a reporter for the ''
New York Journal :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...
'' and editor for various magazines including ''
Current Literature ''Current Literature'' was an American magazine published in New York City from 1888 to 1925. Its first owner and editor, Frederick Somers, debuted the periodical in July 1888. Editors and contributors included: George W. Cable, Bliss Carman, ...
'', all the while continuing to write short stories, poetry, and plays. His first published novel not originally serialized elsewhere was ''The Whirlwind'', published in 1902. Believed to be partly influenced by wartime adventures of his father, the book was set in Civil War-era Missouri. Hughes moved to
London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1901 where he edited ''
The Historians' History of the World ''The Historians' History of the World'', subtitled ''A Comprehensive Narrative of the Rise and Development as Recorded by over two thousand of the Great Writers of all Ages, is a 25-volume encyclopedia of world history, published in 1902. It w ...
'', then returned to
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to help edit the ''
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'' from 1902 to 1905. Hughes' ''Musical Guide'' (1903) is notable for including a definition for zzxjoanw, a
fictitious entry Fictitious or fake entries are deliberately incorrect entries in reference works such as Dictionary, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and directories, added by the editors as #Copyright traps, copyright traps to reveal subsequent plagiarism or ...
that fooled lexicographers for seventy years. Some of Hughes' most notable early writing involved music. His ''American Composers'' (1900), ''Love Affairs of Great Musicians'' (1903), ''Songs by Thirty Americans'' and ''Music Lovers' Cyclopedia'' (1914) were all well received by the public and critics alike. Hughes was a musician and composed several songs including ones for his first venture as a playwright, the musical comedy ''The Bathing Girl'' (1895). In recognition of his musical efforts Hughes was elected an honorary member of the Alpha chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (legally Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha, PMA, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for men with a special interest ...
music fraternity at the
New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...
in Boston in 1917. In addition to novels, Hughes was a prolific writer of short stories, with varying numbers well over one hundred credited to him. ''In a Little Town'' (1917) allowed Hughes to draw on his small-town roots with fourteen short stories about fictionalized people around Keokuk. In 1920 Harper published ''Mama and other Unimportant People'', a collection of short stories and novelettes which contained the critically acclaimed short story ''The Stick-in-the-Muds'' Also in the collection was ''The Father of Waters'', which would be designated as, and republished in, ''The World's 50 Best Short Novels'', a ten-volume compilation published by
Funk & Wagnalls Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including ''A Standard Dictionary of the English Language'' (1st ed. 1893–5), and the ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia'' (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).Funk & Wagnalls N ...
in 1929. Hughes was an essay writer for popular magazines in the 1930s and endorsed the
Technocracy movement The technocracy movement was a social movement active in the United States and Canada in the 1930s which favored technocracy as a system of government over representative democracy and partisan (politics), partisan politics. Historians associate ...
. George Washington In January 1926, Hughes was asked to speak at a meeting of the
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in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
During the speech he advocated for more truth in the portrayal of the nation's first President,
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, pointing out such fables as chopping down a cherry tree, and drawing from Washington's own diary to illustrate some of the man's more human, if less savory, traits and activities. Some in the crowd heckled Hughes during his speech and later gave a disingenuous report of its content to a newspaper. The story rapidly spread across America, with the misquoted Hughes lambasted by everyone from newspaper editors to religious figures and temperance leaders coast-to-coast. Hughes began the first of a projected four-volume biography of Washington in October 1926. Based on extensive research, ''George Washington: The Human Being and the Hero'' covered his life up to the age of thirty. Volume two, ''George Washington: The Rebel and the Patriot'' (1927), examined Washington's life prior to and in the early years of the American Revolution from 1762 to 1777. The third volume, ''George Washington: Savior of the States, 1777–1781'' (1930) further examined Washington as a military leader during some of the revolutions darkest days. Hailed by historians as a groundbreaking work, it repaired much of the damage done to Hughes' reputation. An intended fourth volume covering George Washington and his role as the first President of the USA was never completed.


Playwright

Hughes' first foray into the tough world of New York City theater was a failure. In 1895, with financial backing from his father, Hughes and a business partner staged the aforementioned ''The Bathing Girl'' at the Fifth Avenue Theater. It lasted only one performance. He persevered however, and between 1902 and 1909 no less than six Hughes-penned plays were staged by touring companies across the United States and in London, England. Hughes cast his second wife, Adelaide Mould Bissell, alongside a young
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
in his first New York theater role in the 1908 production ''All for a Girl''. His 1909 play ''The Bridge'', starring Guy Bates Post, ran in New York for a respectable thirty-three performances before going on tour for three years. Hughes' next effort, 1910's ''Two Women'', starring the famed stage actress Leslie Carter, made forty-seven performances before also touring extensively. ''Excuse Me'', a comedy farce based on a train trip, premiered in February 1911 and was one of the years biggest hits in New York that year. It would tour worldwide, including Australia, and later twice be made into movies. A stage version of the novel ''Tess of the Storm Country'' followed, and in 1920 Hughes' final play, ''The Cat Bird'', starring John Drew, Jr. In 1921 his novel '' The Old Nest'' (1912), based upon his family and early life, was adapted into a movie. Its success led Hughes to move to Hollywood and join the burgeoning motion picture industry in 1923. The behind-the-scenes goings on of show business provided ample fodder for Hughes' novel ''Souls for Sale'' (1922), a scathing look at Hollywood scandals of the era. Hughes' greatest success in Hollywood came in 1928 when he was nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for Best Original Screenplay for ''The Patent Leather Kid''. In the 1940s he served as president of the American Writers Association, a group of
anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
writers.


Military service

Hughes enlisted in the New York National Guard as a private in 1897, serving in the famous 69th New York regiment, the "Fighting 69th". When President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
sent U.S. troops to
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
in 1916 in pursuit of bandit
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
, Hughes, now a Captain, and the 69th were one of the regiments assigned to the mission. With America's entry into
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
the following year Hughes expected to see service in France, but a slight hearing impairment prevented him from overseas duty and he was assigned to work in
Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
in early 1918 and promoted to Major. While still a Captain, Hughes designed and patented a new type of
trench knife A trench knife is a combat knife designed to kill or incapacitate an enemy at close quarters, such as in a trench or other confined area.Peterson, Harold L., Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World, Courier Dover Publications, , (2001), ...
for use by the U.S. Army.Hughes, Rupert,
Letters Patent No. 1,315,503 issued September 9, 1919
', Washington, D.C.: United States Patent Office
Containing a spring-loaded blade that extended via push-button, it was similar to what would later be considered a "switchblade". The ''Hughes Trench Knife'' was evaluated as a potential military arm by a panel of U.S. Army officers from the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in June 1918.Crowell, Benedict (1919), ''America's Munitions 1917–1918, Report of Benedict Crowell, Assistant Secretary of War (Director of Munitions)'', U.S. War Department, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, pp. 88, 228 After testing, however, the board found the ''Hughes'' design to be of no value, and it was never adopted. Hughes remained on active duty until mid-1919, meanwhile continuing his writing career in off-duty hours. Hughes continued his part-time military career after moving to
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, joining the state militia. He was a key member of its reorganization in 1940 into the
California Army National Guard The California Army National Guard (CA ARNG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Army, and part of the United States National Guard, National Guard of the United States. The California Army ...
and as Colonel commanded one of its regiments from 1941 to 1943. At age 71 and with health becoming frail, Colonel Hughes was passed over for service in a combat zone again and retired from military service.


Personal life

His first marriage, to Agnes Wheeler Hedge in 1893, ended in divorce in 1903. The couple had one child, daughter Elspeth, born in 1897. (In 1981, heirs to
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...
feuding over his estate claimed that Elspeth was not really Rupert Hughes's daughter, but the child of Agnes's illicit lover. Family noted that Rupert had mumps as a child which left him sterile. )UPI (July 12, 1981
"Hearings to Begin on Hughes Estate."
New York Times. (Retrieved May 18, 2017.)
His second marriage, to actress Adelaide Manola Mould Bissell, took place in 1908. She starred in his stage production ''All for a Girl'' that same year. In December 1923, she died of an apparent suicide while on tour in
Hai Phong Haiphong or Hai Phong (, ) is the third-largest city in Vietnam and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta. The municipality has an area of , consisting of 8 urban districts, 6 rural districts and 1 municipal city (sub-city). Two ...
,
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
. Rupert Hughes' final marriage, to Elizabeth Patterson Dial, took place the next year, 1924. The third Mrs. Hughes died from complications of sleeping pills and heart condition in 1945. Hughes' daughter, Elspeth, from his first marriage died a few months later. Hughes supported
Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...
in the
1944 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 1944. The election took place during World War II which ended the following year. The History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticke ...
.


Death

Hughes' health began to fail in the late 1940s, leading to a non-fatal stroke in 1953. He suffered a fatal heart attack while working at his desk on September 9, 1956. Rupert Hughes is buried in
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California, United States. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries ...
in suburban
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.


Works

* ''The Dozen from Lakerim'' (1899), New York, The Century Co. * ''Famous American Composers'' (1900) * '' Tommy Rot'' (1902), co-wrote book for musical * ''The Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' (1903) * ''Excuse Me!'' (1911), novel * ''Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Present'' (1912), short story, New York & London, D Appleton & Company * ''What Will People Say?'' (1914), novel, New York, Harper & Brothers * ''The Last Rose of Summer'' (1914), novel, New York, Harper & Brothers * ''We Can't Have Everything!'' (1917), novel, New York, Harper & Brothers * ''In a Little Town'' (1917), 14 short stories, New York, Harper & brothers. * ''The Cup of Fury, a Novel of Cities and Shipyards'' (1919), New York, Harper & brothers * ''Within These Walls'' (1923) * ''Destiny'' (1925), novel * ''The Old Home Town'' (1925) * ''George Washington: The Human Being and the Hero'' (1926) * ''We Live but Once'': (1927) novel, New York, Harper & Brothers * ''Washington 1789---1933 Roosevelt, article from Cosmopolitan March'' (1933) * ''Attorney for the People: The Story of Thomas E. Dewey'' (1940), Boston, Houghton Mifflin * ''The Complete Detective'' (1950) * ''The Triumphant Clay'' (1951), novel * ''The War of the Mayan King'' (1952, his final novel) * ''The Love Affairs of Great Musicians, Volume 1 and Volume 2'' Hughes wrote and directed the silent film ''
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
'' (1923). His short story "The Mobilization of Johanna" was filmed as '' Johanna Enlists'' (1918). His "Don't Call Me Madame" was filmed as '' Tillie and Gus'' (1933). Another one of his stories was filmed as ''
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen ''Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen'' is a 1934 pre-Code American comedy-drama film, starring Dorothea Wieck, Alice Brady, and Baby LeRoy, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns and Jane Storm from a novel and story by Rupert Hughes, and directed by Ale ...
'' (1934).


Filmography


References


External links


Rupert Hughes' rebuttal
of the John Gano baptism of
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
legend in ''Time'' magazine on 26 September 1932. * * * * * * *
Image of Rupert Hughes speaking at a meeting of the California Writers' Guild, Claremont, 1935.
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,
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,
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
.
Rupert Hughes Papers
are housed at University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Rupert 1872 births 1956 deaths People from Lancaster, Missouri People from Keokuk, Iowa American people of Welsh descent Case Western Reserve University alumni Yale University alumni 20th-century American novelists American anti-communists American male novelists Novelists from Missouri Novelists from Iowa Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American male non-fiction writers Western Reserve Academy alumni 20th-century American male writers American Writers Association members Historians from Iowa Hughes family (United States)