Aaron Edward Hotchner (June 28, 1917 – February 15, 2020) was an American editor, novelist, playwright, and biographer."A.E. Hotchner"
''HarperCollins'' website. Accessed February 21, 2013. He wrote many television screenplays as well as noted biographies of Doris Day and

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

. He co-founded the charity food company

Newman's Own Newman's Own is an American food company headquartered in Connecticut. Founded in 1982 by actor Paul Newman and author A. E. Hotchner, the company donates all of its after-tax profits to charity through the Newman's Own Foundation, a private no ...

with actor Paul Newman.

Early life

Hotchner was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, the son of Sally (née Rossman), a synagogue/Sunday school administrator, and Samuel Hotchner, a jeweler. His family was Jewish. He attended Soldan High School. In 1940, he graduated from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

with degrees in both history (A.B.) and law

(J.D.) The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

.Caine, Susan Wooleyhan (Summer 2008
'A Multi-Storied Life'
''WUSTL Magazine''. Accessed February 22, 2013. He was admitted to the Missouri State Bar in 1941, and briefly practiced law in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1941 and 1942. After the United States entered

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

following the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, he served from 1942 to 1945 in the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

as a journalist, attaining the rank of major. When the war was over, he decided to forgo his law practice to pursue a career in writing.

Literary career

Hotchner was an editor, biographer, novelist and playwright. In 1948, he met

, and the two were close friends until Hemingway died in 1961. Hotchner wrote his biography of Hemingway, ''Papa Hemingway'', in 1966. He wrote teleplays in the 1950s and 1960s adapting Hemingway's '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'', ''

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

'', '' The Fifth Column'', and '' After the Storm''. Hotchner's biography of Doris Day, ''Doris Day: Her Own Story'', was published in 1975. The film ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...

'' (1993), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a screen adaptation of Hotchner's 1973 autobiographical novel of the same name. A Depression-era,

bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

memoir, it tells the story of a boy struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis, after his mother is committed to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

and his younger brother is sent to live with an uncle. His father, a German immigrant and traveling salesman working for the

Hamilton Watch Company The Hamilton Watch Company is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches based in Bienne, Switzerland. Founded in 1892 as an American firm, the Hamilton Watch Company ended American manufacture in 1969. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, th ...

, is off on long trips from which the boy cannot be certain he will return. Hotchner's play ''The White House'' starred Helen Hayes in a Broadway production staged at Henry Miller's Theater in 1964. Hayes played multiple

First Ladies First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the t ...

from United States history. It was performed at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

itself in 1996. In 1993, ''Welcome to the Club'', a musical comedy written with composer Cy Coleman, appeared on Broadway. In addition, Hotchner wrote ''A Short Happy Life'', ''The Hemingway Hero'', ''Exactly Like You'' (written with Coleman), and ''The World of Nick Adams''. Hotchner's play ''Sweet Prince'' was produced off-Broadway in 1982, at the Theater Off-Park, starring

Keir Dullea Keir Atwood Dullea (; born May 30, 1936) is an American actor. He played astronaut David Bowman in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and its 1984 sequel, '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact''. His other film roles include '' David and Lisa ...

and Ian Abercrombie.

Personal life and philanthropy

With actor Paul Newman, a friend and neighbor, Hotchner founded

, Inc in 1982. All profits from this line of food products and other ventures are donated to charities. In 1988, Hotchner and Newman co-founded the

Hole in the Wall Gang Camp The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, based in Ashford, Connecticut, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, residential summer camp, and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and condition ...

, a residential summer camp and year-round center for seriously ill children located in

Ashford, Connecticut Ashford is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Connecticut Quiet Corner. The population was 4,191 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It was founded in 1714. Eastford, Connecticut, Ea ...

. The original camp was later expanded to become a number of other Hole in the Wall Camps at other locations in the U.S., Ireland, France, and beyond. By 2016, there were 30 camps and programs serving the needs of over 130,000 children and families around the world, as part of the

SeriousFun Children's Network SeriousFun Children's Network is a global community of 30 camps and programs for seriously ill children. All camps and programs offer free recreational experiences to children with serious illnesses and their family members. The first SeriousFu ...

. Hotchner was honored with a star on the

St. Louis Walk of Fame The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...

. Hotchner resided with his wife Virginia Kiser in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

, where he spent most weekends, and cared for a

grey parrot The grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus''), also known as the Congo grey parrot, Congo African grey parrot or African grey parrot, is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. The Timneh parrot ''(Psittacus timneh)'' once was identified as ...

. He was known for his collection of birds, and, outside his home in Westport, he had five peacocks. He loved to teach the kids on his road about the different birds and would sit and look at them often. He died on February 15, 2020, at the age of 102.

Partial bibliography

* ''The Boyhood Memoirs of A. E. Hotchner: King of the Hill and Looking for Miracles'' (Missouri History Museum Press, 2007, ) * ''The Dangerous American'' (Random House, 1958) * ''Papa Hemingway'' (Random House, 1966) * ''Treasure'' (Random House, 1970) * ''King of the Hill'' (Harper & Row, 1973, ) * ''Looking for Miracles: A Memoir about Loving'' (Harper & Row, 1975, ) * ''Doris Day, Her Own Story'' (G. K. Hall, 1976, ) * ''Sophia, Living and Loving : Her Own Story'' (Morrow, 1979, ) * '' The Man Who Lived at the Ritz'' (Putnam, 1981, ) * ''Papa Hemingway : The Ecstasy and Sorrow'' (Morrow, 1983, ) * ''Choice People : The Greats, Near-Greats, and Ingrates I Have Known'' (Morrow, 1984, ) * ''Hemingway and His World'' (Vendome, 1989, ) * ''Blown Away: The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties'' (Simon & Schuster, 1990, ) * ''Louisiana Purchase'' (Carroll & Graf, 1996, ) * ''The Day I Fired Alan Ladd and Other World War II Adventures'' (U. of Missouri Press, 2002, ) * ''Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good: the Madcap Business Adventure of the Truly Oddest Couple'' Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner, (Random House, 2003, ). * ''Everyone Comes to

Elaine's Elaine's was a bar and restaurant in New York City that existed from 1963 to 2011. It was frequented by many celebrities, especially actors and authors. It was established, owned by and named after Elaine Kaufman, who was indelibly associated wi ...

'' (Harper Entertainment, 2004, ) * ''Paul and Me: 53 Years of Adventures and Misadventures with My Pal Paul Newman'' (Random House Digital, 2010, ) * ''O.J. in the Morning, G&T at Night'' (St. Martin's Press, 2013, ) * ''Hemingway in Love'' (St. Martin's Press, 2015, ) *''The Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom: A Novel'', 2018,

Awards and honors

* Distinguished Alumni Award,

Washington University School of Law Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashULaw) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. WashULaw has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country; it is c ...

, 1992. * Honorary D.L.,

, 1993.

Notes

References

External links

*
"2015 interview on Hemingway in Love: The Unwritable Rant"

biography

at

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Bio at St. Louis Walk of Fame

Short Bio from Bookbrowse

movie review by Richard Harrington, ''Washington Post'', September 10, 1993

op-ed by A. E. Hotchner, ''New York Times'', July 1, 2011

Finding Aid for A. E. Hotchner Papers, Washington University Libraries Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Hotchner, A. E. 1917 births 2020 deaths Lawyers from St. Louis Military personnel from St. Louis Writers from St. Louis 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American biographers American male biographers Washington University School of Law alumni 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century biographers 21st-century American biographers American male novelists American male dramatists and playwrights American centenarians Novelists from Missouri James Beard Foundation Award winners American Jews United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Men centenarians Washington University in St. Louis alumni