Wilson Starbuck (December 25, 1897 – December 27, 1983) was an American writer, sailor, and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

officer known for his written works involving life at sea. He is best known for creating the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

comic strip ''Navy Bob Steele'' which was published by the

McClure Newspaper Syndicate McClure Newspaper Syndicate, the first American newspaper syndicate, introduced many American and British writers to the masses. Launched in 1884 by publisher Samuel S. McClure, it was the first successful company of its kind. It turned the mar ...

from 1939 to 1945, and for his play ''Sea Dogs'' which was staged on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in 1939.

Life and career

Wilson Starbuck was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, on December 25, 1897. He served as a lieutenant in the

during

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 ...

, and also worked as a sailor aboard a freighter. His experiences at sea informed his writing. He penned the children's book ''Liners and Freighters'' (1934,

Thomas Nelson & Sons Thomas Nelson is a publishing firm that began in West Bow, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1798, as the namesake of its founder. It is a subsidiary of HarperCollins, the publishing unit of News Corp. It describes itself as a "world leading publisher an ...

) which included a collection of short stories aimed at educating middle school students about commerce and transportation at sea. Similar non-fiction books for children in the Our Changing World book series followed including ''Down the Ship's Ways'' (1935, Thomas Nelson & Sons) and ''Flash-Flash-Flash: About Lightships and Lighthouses'' (1937, Thomas Nelson & Sons). Starbuck's

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

'' Sea Dogs'' premiered on

Maxine Elliott's Theatre Maxine Elliott's Theatre was originally a Broadway theatre at 109 West 39th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1908, it was designed by architect Benjamin Marshall of the Chicago-based firm Marshall and Fox, ...

's on November 6, 1939. Set aboard a freighter at sea, the play starred the actor

Joseph Macauley Joseph Macauley, sometimes given as Joseph Macaulay, (1 April 1891 – 6 October 1967) was an American actor and singer. A native of San Francisco, he originally trained as a lawyer at the University of California and also studied singing with Henry ...

as an abusive alcoholic captain involved in dope smuggling who is pitted against a young crewman who threatens to expose his illegal enterprise. The play was deemed exceptional by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in its authenticity of scene and characters, pulling from Starbuck's own experience working on the crew of a freighter, but was otherwise criticized by the paper as not going beyond authenticity to create a compelling drama. Theatre historian

Gerald Bordman Gerald Martin Bordman (September 18, 1931 – May 9, 2011) was an American theatre historian, best known for authoring the reference volume ''The American Musical Theatre'', first published in 1978. Simonson, Robert (12 May 2011)Gerald Bordman, ...

noted that the play was unusual in that it "contained some of the foulest language heard" on the Broadway stage up until that point in history. Starbuck created the comic strip ''Navy Bob Steele''; one of several comics featuring military servicemen created during

. He created the comic strip with the intent of supporting President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's policy and campaign for American military preparedness. With Erwin Greenwood as his comic strip artist, he successfully sold the comic strip to

who began publishing the strip in their newspapers nationally on November 9, 1939. The comic strip fared well. On the day of the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

the ''Navy Bob Steele'' strip on that day featured the character aboard an American destroyer attempting a heroic rescue at sea. After this event, the strip featured Bob Steele fighting in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

. ''Navy Bob Steele'' suffered some after Starbuck re-enlisted in the United States Navy with the rank of commander, and his attentions were more rushed on the comic strip. It further declined in quality when Erwin Greenwood, a reliable if un-original artist, was replaced in 1944 by William King who lacked a consistent style. As the war came to an end, the relevance of the strip diminished, and it ceased publication in the summer of 1945. Starbuck died on December 27, 1983, in

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

. He is buried in

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

.Wilson Starbuck in the Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012, Montgomery County Our No. 2910

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Starbuck, Wilson 1897 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American naval officers American comics writers American non-fiction children's writers Military personnel from Newark, New Jersey United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II Writers from Newark, New Jersey