Henry James III | |
---|---|
Born | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | May 18, 1879
Died | December 13, 1947 New York City, U.S. | (aged 68)
Education | Harvard University Harvard Law School |
Spouses | Olivia Cutting
(m. 1917; div. 1930)Dorothea Draper Bladgen
(m. 1938) |
Parent | William James |
Relatives | Henry James Sr. (grandfather) Henry James (uncle) Alice James (aunt) |
Henry James III[1] (May 18, 1879[2] – December 13, 1947[3]) was an American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1931. James, who was described as "delightful, rather pedantic, crisp, and humorous,"[1] was the son of William James and the nephew of novelist Henry James.[2]
James was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 18, 1879. He was the son of William James, a philosopher and psychologist, and Alice (née Gibbons) James.[4] He was the grandson of prominent theologian Henry James Sr., the nephew of diarist Alice James, and the novelist Henry James,[2] who referred to him as "Harry" in his letters.[5]
He graduated with an A.B. from Harvard University in 1899 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1904.[5] He later received honorary degrees from Hamilton College and Williams College.[6]
He practiced law in Boston from 1906 until 1912, when he became business manager of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research,[2] succeeding Jerome D. Greene, and was employed there until 1917.[3] During World War I he was a member of the Rockefeller Foundation's War Relief Commission, served as a private in the 89th Infantry Division, and was commissioned as a lieutenant.[2][3]
From 1918 to 1919, he was a member of the Versailles Peace Conference which negotiated the peace terms of the end of World War I.[5] He also served as chairman of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association from 1928 until his death in 1947,[7] and served 12 years as an overseer of Harvard, where he was a fellow from 1936 until 1947.[1]
James wrote Richard Olney and His Public Service, which was published in 1923, a biography of Richard Olney, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Charles W. Eliot, President of Harvard University, 1869-1901 a biography of Charles W. Eliot published in 1930,[8] which won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize for History. James also edited The Letters of William James, which was published in 1921.[5]
On June 11, 1917, he married Olivia Cutting, daughter of financier William Bayard Cutting.[3][9] After their divorce in 1930,[5] he was married to Dorothea Draper Bladgen, the sister of actress Ruth Draper, in 1938 by the Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin.[6] Dorothea was the widow of Linzee Blagden, who died in 1936, and the granddaughter of Charles Anderson Dana, the Assistant Secretary of War under President Lincoln.[1]
James died at his residence, 133 East 64th Street in New York City, on December 13, 1947.[4][3] His memorial service was held at Grace Church in Manhattan.[4]