Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (May 18, 1915 – October 16, 2005) was an American
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
who specialized in
Native American issues.
''New York Times'' reviewer
Herbert Mitgang Herbert Mitgang (January 20, 1920 – November 21, 2013) was an American author, editor, journalist, playwright, and producer of television news documentaries.
Life
Born in Manhattan, he graduated with a law degree from what is now St. John's Uni ...
called him in 1982 the "leading non-Indian writer about Native Americans".
["American Indian Historian Alvin Josephy Jr. Dies"]
Adam Bernstein, ''The Washington Post'', October 18, 2005.
Early life
Josephy was born in
Woodmere, New York
Woodmere is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 17,554 at the 2016 census.
Woodmere is one of the Long Island communities known as the Five Towns, w ...
. His mother was a daughter of publisher Samuel Knopf and a sister of
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
.
[
]
Career
Early career
Early in his career, Josephy worked as a Hollywood screenwriter, New York City newspaper correspondent, radio station news director, the Washington Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
, and in the Pacific theater as United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
combat correspondent, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for "heroic achievement in action... akinga recording of historical significance" during the U.S. invasion of Guam. After the war, Josephy returned to Hollywood where he wrote for the movies, for a local newspaper, and for veterans groups.[ There he married his second wife, Elizabeth Peet. Josephy's reporting on organized crime in Santa Monica was the basis for the film The Captive City, which he co-wrote.
]
''Time'' magazine
Around 1952, the Josephys moved to Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...
, when Alvin joined ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine as photo editor. One assignment sparked his interest in the history of indigenous peoples of the Americas
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
, especially the Nez Perce people
The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames ...
, who lived primarily in Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
and Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
. He developed that interest largely in his free time.[
]
''American Heritage'' magazine
In 1960, he joined the American Heritage Publishing Company
''American Heritage'' is a magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes. as a senior editor of American Heritage books, and in 1976, became editor-in-chief of '' American Heritage'' magazine, a position he served in until 1978.[
]
Literary works
Josephy's works include ''The Patriot Chiefs'' (1961); ''Chief Joseph's People and Their War'' (1964); ''The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest'' (1965); ''The Indian Heritage of America'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968); ''Red Power: The American Indians' Fight for Freedom'' (1971); and ''Now That the Buffalo's Gone'' (1982);[ also ''Black Hills, White Sky''; ''The Civil War in the American West'' and ''History of the Congress of the United States''.]["Alvin Josephy (1915-2005)"]
Rich Wandschneider, ''The Oregon Encyclopedia''.
Government advisor
Josephy served as a senior advisor on Federal Indian Policy Federal Indian policy establishes the relationship between the United States Government and the Indian Tribes within its borders. The Constitution gives the federal government primary responsibility for dealing with tribes. Some scholars divide the ...
to Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall during the Kennedy Administration
John F. Kennedy's tenure as the 35th president of the United States, began with his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with his assassination on November 22, 1963. A Democrat from Massachusetts, he took office following the 1960 ...
, and later as an advisor to President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
on matters pertaining to Native Americans and government policies relating to Indian Tribes. He had strongly disagreed with Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
Administration policies on such matters, as President Nixon came to later, in retrospect.[ Prior to this time, more than 100 tribes had lost federal recognition, and their land holdings under Federal policies of "termination" and forced assimilation. Based significantly on Josephy's advice and encouragement, the Nixon Administration adopted a policy of "self-determination" for Native Americans, and furthered policies and practices to encourage their cultural survival.)]["Alvin Josephy: A gentle, graceful advocate for sovereignty"]
Rebecca A. Miles, ''High Country News'', December 12, 2005.
Personal life
Alvin and Elizabeth "Betty" Peet Josephy were married for 56 years, until her death in 2004. He died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, a year later. He was survived by one child from his first marriage, three from his second, and their descendants.[
]
Legacy
In Joseph, Oregon, where Alvin and Betty owned a ranch and hosted a camp for Nez Perce children, their legacy is well remembered. The Josephy Center for Arts and Culture was founded in his name. Included in the Center is the Alvin M. and Betty Josephy Library of Western History and Culture, which holds much of Josephy's personal collection, as well as related materials..