Charles F. Haanel
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Charles Francis Haanel (May 22, 1866 – November 27, 1949) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
author,
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
and a businessman. He is best known for his contributions to the
New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a spiritual movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy from ...
movement through his book ''
The Master Key System ''The Master Key System'' is a personal development book by Charles F. Haanel (1866–1949) that was originally published as a 24-week correspondence course in 1912, and then in book form in 1916. The ideas it describes and explains come most ...
''.


Personal life and business career

The Haanel family was of
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
extraction, but had lived in
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
,
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, before emigrating to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and thence 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In ''St. Louis: History of the Fourth City'', the author Walter B. Stevens wrote that "Charles F. Haanel was born in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
, the son of Hugo and Emeline (Fox) Haanel." He was the fourth of six children. According to Stevens, "The family moved to
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
when Charles was a child. His first job was as an office boy for the National Enameling & Stamping Company in St. Louis, and he worked for this firm in varying capacities for fifteen years before striking out on his own as a writer and businessman." In 1885 he married Esther M. Smith. They had one son and two daughters. In 1891 his wife died. In 1908 he married for the second time, to Margaret Nicholson of St. Louis, whose father was W. A. Nicholson. He was a member of the Republican Party, a
Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and
Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...
affiliated with St. Louis Keystone Lodge No.243, (A.F. & A.M.) and a supporter of the
Missouri Athletic Club The Missouri Athletic Club (often referred to as the MAC), founded in 1903, is a private city and athletic club with two locations. The Downtown Clubhouse is in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA and the West Clubhouse is located in the St. L ...
. He was a member of
Pi Gamma Mu Pi Gamma Mu or (from Πολιτικές Γνώσεως Μάθεται) is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science di ...
fraternity, a Fellow of the London College of Psychotherapy, a member of the Authors League of America; a member of the American Society of Psychical Research; a member of the Society of Rosicrucians; a member of the American Suggestive Therapeutical Association; and a member of the Science League of America. During his life, Haanel earned and received several honorary academic degrees, including hon. Ph.D., College National Electronic Institute; Metaphysics, Psy. D., College of Divine Metaphysics; and M.D., Universal College of Dupleix, India. When Haanel died on November 27, 1949; he was 83 years old. His ashes were buried in
Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as t ...
, St. Louis.


Career as financial success writer

Haanel's book ''The Master Key System'' was published in 1912, when he was 46 years old. It is written in the form of a course in New Thought, mental development, financial success, and personal health. The book was heavily promoted in the pages of
Elizabeth Towne Elizabeth Jones Towne (May 11, 1865 – June 1, 1960) was an influential writer, editor, and publisher in the New Thought and self-help movements. Early life Elizabeth Jones was born in Oregon, the daughter of John Halsey Jones. She first marri ...
's New Thought magazine ''The Nautilus''. By 1933 it had allegedly sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. Haanel practiced the financial principles he preached, and was a self-made success who owned several major companies. According to Stevens, writing in 1909, "He was president of the Continental Commercial Company, president of the Sacramento Valley Improvement Company, and president of the Mexico Gold & Silver Mining Company." The original Master Key System contained 24 parts or modules of study. The allegedly "lost" chapters of the Master Key System, chapters 25–28, which are found in some editions, are not original, but have been copied from the chapters 11–14 of ''A book about You''. Among the key points of Haanel's system are what he refers to as the laws of concentration, attraction, and harmonious thinking and action. Unique to the Master Key System is a set of exercises that accompany each chapter, and which are systematically building upon each other — they are what makes the Master Key System a system. Another important aspect of the Master Key System is the element of "Truth". The understanding of "Truth" is derived from the understanding that Spirit is all there is, and that it cannot be other than perfect. Truth provides readers/students with certainty, courage and determination to change their life for the better. In addition to the ''Master Key System'', Haanel wrote several other books including ''Mental Chemistry'', published in 1922, ''The New Psychology'', published in 1924, ''A Book about You'', published in 1927, and ''The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi'', co-authored with Victor Simon Perera and published in 1937.


Influence on other writers

In 1919,
Napoleon Hill Oliver Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is best known for his book ''Think and Grow Rich'' (1937), which is among the best-selling self-help books of all time. Hill's works insisted th ...
wrote Haanel a letter thanking him for ''The Master Key System.'' In the letter Hill stated, "My present success and the success which has followed my work as President of the Napoleon Hill Institute is due largely to the principles laid down in The Master-Key System." Haanel was quoted in the best-selling
self-help Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...
book '' The Secret'' by
Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne ( ; née Izon; born 1951, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian television writer and producer. Her book '' The Secret'' is based on the belief of the pseudoscientific law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a p ...
, published in 2007.


Bibliography

Original titles * ''The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi.'' c.1937 * ''A Book About You. 1928.'' (also reprinted with the shortened title ''You'') * ''The Master Key System.'' 1912 (mail order course) * ''The Master Key System.'' 1917 (book format). * ''Mental Chemistry.'' 1922. * ''The New Psychology.'' 1924. Variant editions of The Master Key System * ''The Master Key System in 24 Parts.'' by Charles F. Haanel, edited by Anthony R. Michalski * ''The Master Key System: 28 Part Complete Deluxe Edition.'' by Charles F. Haanel. Isthar Publishing (July 2007) * ''The Master Key System Large Font Edition.'' by Charles F. Haanel, edited by Andras M. Nagy * ''The Master Key System 2012 Centenary Edition.'' by Charles F. Haanel, edited by Helmar Rudolph Posthumous compilations with written contributions by other authors * ''Master Key Arcana.'' (the 28-chapter version of The Master Key plus pieces by authors who influenced Haanel; illustrated with pictures of original Haanel books, pamphlets, and courses.) 2004 * ''How to Master Abundance and Prosperity: The Master Key System Decoded: An Executive Summary.'' by Prof. C. W. Haanel Mentz * ''The Master Key System in 24 Parts: Workbook Edition.'' by Charles F. Haanel and Donald Gordon Carty * ''The Master Key BrainCharger Premium Student Handbook.'' by Helmar Rudolph . 2011.


Biographic sources

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References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haanel, Charles F. 1866 births 1949 deaths American finance and investment writers American motivational writers American self-help writers American spiritual writers New Thought writers Businesspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan Writers from Ann Arbor, Michigan