Stanton Davis Kirkham (December 7, 1868 – January 6, 1944) was a naturalist, philosopher,

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. Although widely travelled, he resided primarily in

Canandaigua Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrat ...

, Ontario County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was born in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediter ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, the only child of Major Murray S. Davis (Commander, 8th Cavalry, Troop A, Camp Winfield Scott, Nevada, 1867) and Julia Edith Kirkham Davis, daughter of Gen. Ralph Wilson Kirkham,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

, who adopted Kirkham and brought him to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He was named after Secretary of War

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

, whom his father had served as an aide. He attended public schools in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and later graduated from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

Biography

Kirkham was the author of ''As Nature Whispers'' (1902), ''The Ministry of Beauty'' (1907), ''Where Dwells the Soul Serene'' (1907), ''In The Open: Intimate Studies and Appreciations of Nature'' (1908), ''The Philosophy of Self-Help: An Application of Practical Psychology to Daily Life'', (1909), ''Mexican Trails: A Record of Travel in Mexico, 1904-7, and a Glimpse at the Life of the Mexican Indian'' (1909), ''Resources: An Interpretation of the Well-Rounded Life'' (1910), ''East and West: Comparative Studies of Nature in Eastern and Western States'' (1911), ''Outdoor Philosophy: The Meditations of a Naturalist'' (1912), ''North and South: Notes on the Natural History of a Summer Camp and a Winter Home'' (1913), ''Half-True Stories: For Little Folks of Just the Right Age'' (1916), ''After Thirty Years'' (1923), ''Animal Nature and Other Stories'' (1926), ''Cruising Around the World and the Seven Seas'' (1927) and ''Shut-In'' (1936). He married Mary Clark Williams (1869 - 1911), granddaughter of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Myron H. Clark, on May 16, 1907. They had two children, a son, Paul Kirkham, and a daughter, Mary Clark Kirkham (1908-2000). He was quoted in Chapter 6 of ''

As a Man Thinketh ''As a Man Thinketh'' is a self-help book by James Allen, published in 1903. It was described by Allen as "... ealingwith the power of thought, and particularly with the use and application of thought to happy and beautiful issues. I have trie ...

'' by James Allen. He died 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 ...

at the age of 75. An illness he contracted during a horseback journey across

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

in 1914 rendered him an invalid for the latter part of his life. His philosophy, as stated in ''The Ministry of Beauty'' and other works, could be said to fall within the category of

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New England. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around Ralph Wald ...

. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery,

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

External links

* *
Works by Stanton Davis Kirkham
a
OnlineBooks
;Individual book selections:
Mexican Trails: A Record of Travel in Mexico, 1904-7, and a Glimpse at the Life of the Mexican IndianThe Ministry of BeautyWhere Dwells the Soul SereneThe Philosophy of Self-Help: An Application of Practical Psychology to Daily LifeOutdoor Philosophy: The Meditations of a NaturalistHalf-True Stories: For Little Folks of Just the Right AgeIn The Open: Intimate Studies and Appreciations of Nature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkham, Stanton Davis 1868 births 1944 deaths People from Nice American essayists Philosophers from New York (state) American spiritual writers Writers from New York (state) Transcendentalism People from Canandaigua, New York French emigrants to the United States American nature writers American male non-fiction writers

Biography

See also

External links