Jeffrey Potter (April 12, 1918 – December 15, 2012) was an American biographer best known for his 1985 biography of Jackson Pollock, whom he had befriended in 1949. He also published two children’s books and two non-fiction works: one about environmental disaster, and an authorised biography of Dorothy Schiff. Potter was born to Mary Barton Atterbury and Joseph Wiltsie Fuller Potter, on April 12, 1918, in Manhattan. His father was a Wall Street stockbroker. The young Jeffrey dropped out of Groton School to become a newspaper reporter, factory machinist and seaman. During

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 ...

he joined the

American Field Service AFS Intercultural Programs (or AFS, originally the American Field Service) is an international youth exchange organization. It consists of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, professional ...

, where he was attached to the British Indian Army, as an ambulance driver and medic in the Burma Campaign. While working as a building contractor in the

Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...

in 1949, he befriended painter

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

. Pollock and his wife,

Lee Krasner Lenore "Lee" Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American abstract expressionist painter, with a strong speciality in collage. She was married to Jackson Pollock. Although there was much cross-pollination be ...

, lived in Springs, near Potter's home in

Amagansett Amagansett is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, t ...

, New York. They remained friends until Pollock's death in 1956. Potter's first biography, ''Men, Money & Magic: The Story of Dorothy Schiff'' was published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan in 1976. Much of the book is devoted to Schiff's relationships with her husbands and male friends, including President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. The authorised work suggested the relationship with Roosevelt was sexual. The sensational story received extensive coverage in ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'' of June 7, 1976. Schiff denied it and came to refer to Potter's work as "that awful book", although, when she left her papers to the New York Public Library, after her death in 1989, pages initialed by her referred to the joint purchase with FDR of a house next to

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fran ...

. Potter felt betrayed by the denial. In 1985, Potter published a book on Pollock, consisting of selections from hundreds of taped interviews with Pollock's family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. A production company representing

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

and Robert De Niro bought the film rights;

Pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. '' Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingd ...

, a competing production, featuring

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award ...

as Pollock, eventually won the day. ''Pollock'' (2000) was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning '' Jackson Pollock: An American Saga'', by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. Potter claimed the book had plagiarised his, and Naifeh and Smith sued him for libel. Ed Harris would later say that his interest in portraying Pollock was inspired by Potter's book, which he had received as birthday gift from his father.

Publications

*To a Violent Grave: An Oral Biography of Jackson Pollock (1985) *Men, money & magic: the story of Dorothy Schiff (1976) *Disaster by oil: oil spills: why they happen, what they do, how we can end them (1973) *Elephant Bridge (1960) *Robin Is a Bear: 2 (1958)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Jeffrey American biographers Jackson Pollock 2012 deaths 1918 births People from Manhattan People from Amagansett, New York 20th-century American painters American male painters