Elbert Green Hubbard (June 19, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in

Hudson, Illinois Hudson is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington– Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Hudson is located at . According to the 2010 census ...

, he had early success as a traveling salesman for the Larkin Soap Company. Hubbard is known best as the founder of the

Roycroft Roycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895, in the village of East Aurora, New York, near Buffalo. Parti ...

artisan community in

East Aurora, New York East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 5,998 per the 2020 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metr ...

, an influential exponent of the Arts and Crafts movement. Among Hubbard's many publications were the fourteen-volume work ''Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great'' and the short publication ''

A Message to Garcia ''A Message to Garcia'' is a widely distributed essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899, expressing the value of individual initiative and conscientiousness in work. The essay's primary example is a dramatized version of a daring escapade perform ...

''. He and his second wife,

Alice Moore Hubbard Alice Moore Hubbard (June 7, 1861 – May 7, 1915) was a noted American feminist, writer, and, with her husband, Elbert Hubbard was a leading figure in the Roycroft movement – a branch of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England with which i ...

, died aboard the RMS ''Lusitania'' when it was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915.

Early life

Hubbard was born in Bloomington, Illinois, to Silas Hubbard and Juliana Frances Read on June 19, 1856. In the autumn of 1855, his parents had relocated to Bloomington from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, where his father had a medical practice. Finding it difficult to settle in Bloomington—mainly due to the presence of several already established doctors—Silas moved his family to

the next year. Nicknamed "Bertie" by his family, Elbert had two older siblings: Charlie, who was largely bed-ridden after a fall when he was young, and Hannah Frances, nicknamed "Frank" like her mother. Charlie died at the age of nine, when Elbert was three-and-a-half years old. Elbert also had three younger sisters who were named Mary, Anna Miranda, and Honor. The Hubbard children attended the local public school, a small building with two rooms that overlooked a graveyard. Thirty years later, Elbert described his schooling days as "splendid" and "tinged with no trace of blue.... I had no ambitions then—I was sure that some day I could spell down the school, propound a problem in fractions that would puzzle the teacher, and play checkers in a way that would cause my name to be known throughout the entire township." Mary would remember her older brother's role as a school troublemaker, noting that he "annoyed his teachers... occasionally by roaring inappropriately when his too-responsive sense of humor was tickled." Elbert's first business venture was selling Larkin soap products, a career which eventually brought him to

. His innovations for Larkin included premiums and "leave on trial".

Religious and political beliefs

Hubbard described himself as an anarchist and a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

. He believed in social, economic, domestic, political, mental and spiritual freedom. In ''A Message to Garcia and Thirteen Other Things'' (1901), Hubbard explained his ''Credo'' by writing "I believe

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

Henry Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and ...

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

and

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

to be Prophets of God, and they should rank in mental reach and spiritual insight with

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

Hosea In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; he, הוֹשֵׁעַ – ''Hōšēaʿ'', 'Salvation'; gr, Ὡσηέ – ''Hōsēé''), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BCE prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is t ...

, Ezekiel and

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

." Yet, common themes throughout his works portray him as a capitalist, with his pro-business beliefs and anti-union beliefs. Hubbard wrote a critique of war, law and government in the booklet ''Jesus Was An Anarchist'' (1910). Originally published as ''The Better Part'' in ''A Message to Garcia and Thirteen Other Things'',

Ernest Howard Crosby Ernest Howard Crosby (November 4, 1856 – January 3, 1907) was an American reformer, georgist, and writer, author. Early life Crosby was born in New York City in 1856. He was the son of the Rev. Dr. Howard Crosby (minister), Howard Crosby (1 ...

described Hubbard's essay as "The best thing Elbert ever wrote." Another book which was written by Hubbard is titled ''Health and Wealth''. It was published in 1908 and includes many short

truism A truism is a claim that is so obvious or self-evident as to be hardly worth mentioning, except as a reminder or as a rhetorical or literary device, and is the opposite of falsism. In philosophy, a sentence which asserts incomplete truth conditio ...

Roycroft

Elbert Hubbard - Project Gutenberg etext 17504

His best-known work came after he founded

, an Arts and Crafts community in East Aurora, New York in 1895. This grew from his private press which he had initiated in collaboration with his first wife

Bertha Crawford Hubbard Bertha C. Crawford Hubbard (1861–1946) was one of the founders of the Roycroft movement, an American branch of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

, the Roycroft Press, inspired by

Kelmscott Press The Kelmscott Press, founded by William Morris and Emery Walker, published fifty-three books in sixty-six volumes between 1891 and 1898. Each book was designed and ornamented by Morris and printed by hand in limited editions of around 300. Many ...

. Although called the "Roycroft Press" by latter-day collectors and print historians, the organization called itself "The Roycrofters" and "The Roycroft Shops". Hubbard edited and published two magazines, '' The Philistine—A Periodical of Protest'' and '' The FRA--A Journal of Affirmation''. ''The Philistine'' was bound in brown butcher paper and featuring largely satire and whimsy. (Hubbard himself quipped that the cover was butcher paper because: "There is meat inside." The Roycrofters produced handsome, if sometimes eccentric, books printed on handmade paper, and operated a fine bindery, a furniture shop, and shops producing modeled leather and hammered copper goods. They were a leading producer of Mission style products. Hubbard's second wife,

, was a graduate of the New Thought-oriented Emerson College of Oratory in Boston and a noted

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

. The Roycroft Shops became a site for meetings and conventions of radicals,

freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other metho ...

s, reformers, and suffragists. Hubbard became a popular lecturer, and his homespun philosophy evolved from a loose William Morris-inspired

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

to an ardent defense of free enterprise and American know-how. Hubbard was mocked in the Socialist press for "selling out". He replied that he had not given up any ideal of his, but had simply lost faith in Socialism as a means of realizing them. An example of his trenchant critical style may be found in his saying that prison is, "An example of a Socialist's Paradise, where equality prevails, everything is supplied and competition is eliminated." In 1908, Hubbard was the main speaker at the annual meeting of

The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves is one of the "oldest continually existing horse thief apprehending organization in the United States, and one of Dedham's most venerable social organizations." Since its founding there have be ...

. Before he died, Hubbard planned to write a story about Felix Flying Hawk, the only son of Chief

Flying Hawk Flying Hawk (Oglala Lakota: ''Čhetáŋ Kiŋyáŋ'' in Standard Lakota Orthography; also known as Moses Flying Hawk; March 1854 – December 24, 1931) was an Oglala Lakota warrior, historian, educator and philosopher. Flying Hawk's life chron ...

. Hubbard had learned about Flying Hawk during 1915 from

Major Israel McCreight American Horse ( lkt, Wašíčuŋ Tȟašúŋke) (a/k/a "American Horse the Younger") (1840 – December 16, 1908) was an Oglala Lakota chief, statesman, educator and historian. American Horse is notable in American history as a U.S. Army Indian S ...

. In 1912, the passenger liner ''

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' sunk after hitting an iceberg. Hubbard subsequently wrote of the disaster, singling out the story of

Ida Straus Rosalie Ida Straus (née Blun; February 6, 1849 – April 15, 1912) was an American homemaker and wife of the co-owner of the Macy's department store. She and her husband, Isidor, died on board the . Early life Rosalie Ida Blun was born in 184 ...

, who as a woman was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat in precedence to the men, but refused to board the boat, and leave her husband. Hubbard then added his own commentary:

Conviction and pardon

At the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Hubbard published a great deal of related commentary in ''The Philistine'' and became anxious to cross the ocean, report on the war and interview the Kaiser himself. However, Hubbard had pleaded guilty on January 11, 1913, in the court of U.S. District Court Judge John R. Hazel for violating Section 211 of the penal code. Hubbard was convicted on one count of circulating "objectionable" (or "obscene") matter in violation of the postal laws. Hubbard requested a presidential pardon from

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, but the administration discarded the request as "premature". When his application for a passport was denied in 1915, Hubbard went directly to the White House and pleaded with

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

's personal secretary, Joseph P. Tumulty. At the time, the President was in the midst of a cabinet meeting, but Tumulty interrupted and, as a result, the Secretary of State (

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...

) and Attorney General Thomas Gregory were also able to hear of Hubbard's situation and need. The pardon was found to be appropriate, and Hubbard's clemency application process lasted exactly one day. Seventy-five percent of those petitioning for clemency during that fiscal year were not so fortunate; their requests were denied or adversely reported or no action was taken. On receiving his pardon, Hubbard obtained a passport and, on May 1, 1915, left with his wife on a voyage to Europe.

Death

A little more than three years after the sinking of the ''Titanic'', the Hubbards boarded the in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. On May 7, 1915, while at sea 11 miles (18 km) off the

Old Head of Kinsale The Old Head of Kinsale () is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. A castle has been on the headland since at least the 3rd century, with the current iteration built in 1223. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th centur ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

. His end seems to have followed the pattern he had admired in Mrs. Straus. In a letter to Elbert Hubbard II dated March 12, 1916, Ernest C. Cowper, a survivor of this event, wrote: The Roycroft Shops, managed by Hubbard's son, Elbert Hubbard II, operated until 1938.

Posthumous recognition

Contributors to a 360-page book published by Roycrofters and titled '' In Memoriam: Elbert and Alice Hubbard'' included such celebrities as meat-packing magnate J. Ogden Armour, business theorist and Babson College founder

Roger Babson Roger Ward Babson (July 6, 1875 – March 5, 1967) was an American entrepreneur, economist, and business theorist in the first half of the 20th century. He is best remembered for founding Babson College. He also founded Webber College, now Webb ...

, botanist and horticulturalist

Luther Burbank Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations inc ...

, seed-company founder W. Atlee Burpee,

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among o ...

magnate Henry J. Heinz,

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

founder

Franklin Knight Lane Franklin Knight Lane (July 15, 1864 – May 18, 1921) was an American progressive politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1913 to 1920. He also served as a comm ...

, success writer

Orison Swett Marden Dr. Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924) was an American inspirational author who wrote about achieving success in life and founded ''SUCCESS'' magazine in 1897. His writings discuss common-sense principles and virtues that make for a well-rou ...

, inventor of the modern comic strip

Richard F. Outcault Richard Felton Outcault (; January 14, 1863 – September 25, 1928) was an American cartoonist. He was the creator of the series ''The Yellow Kid'' and ''Buster Brown'' and is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip. Life and career ...

, poet

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elihu Root, evangelist

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

, intellectual

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

, and poet

Ella Wheeler Wilcox Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850October 30, 1919) was an American author and poet. Her works include the collection '' Poems of Passion'' and the poem "Solitude", which contains the lines "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you ...

. Hubbard's ''Message to Garcia'' essay was adapted into two movies: the 1916 silent movie ''

'' and the 1936 movie ''

''.

In popular culture

Mack Bolan Mack Bolan, alias '' The Executioner'', is a fictional character who has been serialized in 631 novels with sales of more than 200 million books. Created by Don Pendleton, Bolan made his first appearance on the printed page in ''The Execution ...

, the main character of

Don Pendleton Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 – October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction books, best known for his creation of the fictional character Mack Bolan, which have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide ...

's fiction series '' The Executioner'', frequently cites as inspiration a Hubbard quote, "God will not look you over for medals, diplomas, or degrees – but for scars." At the end of '' Rabbit's Feat'', a 1960

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...

and

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episod ...

cartoon, Bugs quotes Hubbard by saying, "Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive." The phrase "The graveyards are full of indispensable men" may have originated with Hubbard. A quote of Hubbard's from his biography of American automotive developer John North Willys, "Do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing, and you'll never be criticized", is often misattributed to Aristotle.

Selected works

*''Forbes of Harvard'' (1894) *''No Enemy But Himself'' (1894) *''Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great'' (1895–1910) *''The Legacy'' (1896) *''

'' (1899) *''A Message to Garcia and Thirteen Other Things'' (1901) *''Love, Life and Work'' (1906) *''White Hyacinths'' (1907) *''Health and Wealth'' (1908) *''The Doctors'' (1909) *''The Mintage'' (1910) *''Jesus Was An Anarchist'' (1910), also published as ''The Better Part'' *''An American Bible'' (1911) Alice Hubbard, Editor *''The Silver Arrow'' (1923) *''Elbert Hubbard's Scrap Book'' (1923) *''The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard'' (1927) *''The Philosophy of Elbert Hubbard'' (1930)

Gallery

Image:Visitor Center, Roycroft Campus, East Aurora, NY.jpg, Roycroft Campus Visitor Center, June 2019 Image:RoycroftCampusWelcome.jpg, Roycroft Campus welcome sign, 2008 Image:RoycroftSign.JPG, Sign about Elbert Hubbard

Explanatory notes

References

External links

* * *
''The Philistine''
at the HathiTrust
''The Fra''
at the HathiTrust *
"Elbert Hubbard: An American Original", November 2009—PBS / WNED

The Roycrofter Website The Elbert Hubbard papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin
Overview of an archival collection on Elbert Hubbard.
Hubbard Collection
is located at th
Special Collections/Digital Library
i
Falvey Memorial Library
at Villanova University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Elbert 1856 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American writers 20th-century American essayists 19th-century American philosophers 20th-century American philosophers Arts and Crafts movement American anarchists American magazine editors American publishers (people) Writers from Bloomington, Illinois Deaths on the RMS Lusitania Writers from New York (state) People from McLean County, Illinois People from East Aurora, New York Journalists from Illinois Private press movement people American socialists