Horace Logo Traubel (1858–1919) was an American essayist, poet, magazine publisher, author, and

Georgist Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land—including ...

. Traubel was closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States and published a monthly literary magazine called ''The Conservator'' from 1890 until the time of his death. Although a poet of note in his own right, Traubel is best remembered as the literary executor and biographer of his friend, poet

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 t ...

, with whom he transcribed and compiled nine volumes of daily conversations, entitled ''With Walt Whitman in Camden.''

Biography

Early years

Horace L. Traubel was born in Camden,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

on December 19, 1858, the son of an ethnic

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

father and an ethnic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

mother.Mildred Bain
''Horace Traubel.''
New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1913; pg. 11. His father, Maurice Traubel, had been born in Germany before emigrating to the United States as a young man, where he settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and learned the trade of

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

. His mother, the former Katherine Grunder, was met by Maurice after his arrival. Horace was the fifth child of seven born to the couple. He left school at an early age, going to work at the age of 12 as a

paperboy A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ...

before working variously as a printers' assistant, lithographer,

cub reporter A cub is the young of certain large predatory animals such as big cats or bears; analogous to a domestic puppy or kitten. Cub or CUB may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''The Cub'', a 1915 American silent film * ''Cub'' (film), a 2014 ...

at a newspaper, and bank clerk. Early in his life he came to know

, whose volume of poetry ''

Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting ''Leaves of Grass'', revising it multiple times until his death. Th ...

'' was the subject of much hostile commentary among the literary critics of the day."Traubel, Socialist Poet, Dies in Ontario: Wife and Daughter Survive Writer, Who Was Active Thirty Years in the Radical Movement," ''New York Call,'' vol. 12, no. 252 (Sept. 9, 1919), pg. 1. Traubel married in 1891. He and his wife Anne had two children — a daughter who survived him and a son who died at the age of 5. The family moved from Philadelphia to neighboring

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, but Traubel maintained an office across the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

in the big city for years afterwards.Bain, ''Horace Traubel,'' pg. 12.

Career

Traubel began to write himself in the late 1880s, specializing in

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

and

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. In 1890 Traubel founded a literary journal, '' The Conservator,'' a monthly publication which he continued until the time of his death nearly three decades later. While the publication never attained a mass readership, it was well regarded for its quality and spirit by literary aficionados of the day. Traubel signed most his later work in the journal "T.", previously "H. T." and "H. L. T." During the years 1903 to 1907 Traubel was associated with another literary magazine, ''The Artsman, '' which he edited along with

Will Price William Lightfoot Price (November 9, 1861 – October 14, 1916) was an American architect, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, and a founder of the utopian communities of Arden, Delaware and Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. Early life Price w ...

and Hawley McLanahan. ''The Artsman'' was associated with the Rose Valley Association, part of the international Arts and Crafts movement of the day. Traubel was a dedicated

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 e ...

and was among the founders of ''The Worker,'' a socialist weekly newspaper in New York City which was later transformed into the Socialist daily ''New York Call.'' Traubel was the author of many unsigned editorials in early issues of that paper and contributed a daily essay, often dealing with a spiritual topic. Many of Traubel's essays from ''The Worker'' were eventually collected into hard covers as a book entitled ''Chants Communal.'' Traubel was a regular correspondent of a number of leading political radicals of his day, including Socialist Party leader

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialism, socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate ...

, anarchist

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

, Helen Keller, and California novelist

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in seve ...

. A close personal friend and literary heir of Walt Whitman, Traubel was a key figure in memorializing the great American poet. During his own life Traubel managed to see into print three volumes on Whitman's life and philosophy during his final years. Six additional volumes of Traubel's ''Walt Whitman in Camden'' were published posthumously, bringing the total length of the work to nine volumes."Horace L. Traubel,"
The Walt Whitman Archive, www.whitmanarchive.org/

Death and legacy

During his last few years of life Traubel's health failed him. He suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in the summer of 1918 which paralyzed his left leg and impacted his vision. That fall he moved with his wife to stay with a friend in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

, but there his health became steadily worse. In April 1919 Traubel moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

staying at the apartment of his biographer,

David Karsner David Fulton Karsner (1889–1941) was an American journalist, writer, and socialist political activist. Karsner is best remembered as a key member of the editorial staff of the '' New York Call'' and as an early biographer of Socialist Party of Ame ...

.Karsner, ''Horace Traubel,'' pg. 20. There he suffered a series of debilitating heart attacks from which he never fully recovered. Although critically weak in his last days, Traubel decided to set out on one last trip at the end of the summer of 1919, setting out for

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 ...

. He died early in September 1919 at Bon Echo,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, near the city of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He was 60 years old at the time of his death. Traubel's funeral, held Thursday, September 11, 1919, was interrupted when the church at which it was to be held, located at 34th Street and Park Avenue in New York City, burst into flames just as the

hearse A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately ano ...

containing Traubel's body rolled up outside the building."Church of Messiah Burns; Funeral of Horace Traubel Moves to People's House," ''New York Call,'' vol. 12, no. 255 (Sept. 12, 1919), pp. 1-2. About 1,000 people gathered at the scene, most of whom were present to attend the service, and a quick decision was made to relocate the funeral to the so-called "People's House," home of the

Rand School of Social Science The Rand School of Social Science was formed in 1906 in New York City by adherents of the Socialist Party of America. The school aimed to provide a broad education to workers, imparting a politicizing class-consciousness, and additionally served a ...

, located at 7 East 15th Street. When the gathering finally reassembled, several of Traubel's poems from ''Optimos'' were read in tribute, with Dr. Percival G. Wiksell of Boston presiding. Traubel was buried in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey, close to Walt Whitman's tomb.

Footnotes

Works

* ''At the Graveside of Walt Whitman, Harleigh, Camden, New Jersey, March 30th; and Sprigs of Lilac.'' Philadelphia, H.L. Traubel, 1892. * ''Lowell-Whitman: A Contrast.'' Boston, Poet Lore, 1892. * ''In re Walt Whitman.'' Editor, with Richard Maurice Bucke and Thomas Biggs Harned. Philadelphia: D. McKay, 1893. * ''He Died for Us.'' Philadelphia: Conservator, 1902. * ''Give All to Love.'' Philadelphia: Conservator, 1902. * ''Make Room for Man.'' Philadelphia: Conservator, 1902. * ''Put Money in Your Purse.'' Philadelphia: Conservator, 1902. * ''The Soul of the Workman.'' Philadelphia: Conservator, 1902. * ''Chants Communal.'' Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., 1904. * ''With Walt Whitman in Camden (March 28-July 14, 1888).'' Boston: Small, Maynard, 1906. * ''Optimos.'' New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1910. * ''Five Traubel Songs.'' New York: n.p., 1912. * ''The Master of Money is Dead.'' New York: Albert Boni, 1913. * ''Collects.'' Albert and Charles Boni, 1914. * ''Walt Whitman on Himself: From the Camden Diary of Horace Traubel.'' New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1924. * ''With Walt Whitman in Camden: January 21 to April 7, 1889.'' Sculley Bradley, ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1953. * ''Heart's Gate: Letters between Marsden Hartley & Horace Traubel, 1906-1915.'' Highlands, NC : Jargon Society, 1982.

External links

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania {{DEFAULTSORT:Traubel, Horace 1858 births 1919 deaths Writers from Philadelphia Writers from Camden, New Jersey American magazine editors American male poets American socialists American literary critics American male non-fiction writers Burials at Harleigh Cemetery, Camden Georgists