Matthew Josephson (February 15, 1899 – March 13, 1978) was an American journalist and author of works on nineteenth-century French literature and American political and business history of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Josephson popularized the term " robber baron".

Biography

He was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York on February 15, 1899, to Jewish immigrant parents Julius and Sarah (née Kasindorf) Josephson. His father was from Iasi, Romania and his mother from Rostov-na-Donu, Russia. Julius Josephson was a printer who became a bank president before his death in 1925. Matthew Josephson graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and married Hannah Geffen in 1920. They lived in Europe in the 1920s. His wife, librarian of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

and an author in her own right, worked closely with her husband on various projects throughout their careers. In 1945 she and

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return ...

edited '' Aragon, Poet of the Resistance''. Matthew and Hannah Josephson collaborated on ''Al Smith: Hero of the Cities'' in 1969. They had two sons, Eric and Carl. Initially Josephson wrote poetry, published in ''Galimathias'' (1923), and reported for various "little magazines." He became associate editor of '' Broom: An International Magazine of the Arts'' (1922–24) and contributing editor of ''Transition'' (1928–29). Josephson was also a regular contributor to ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

'',''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', and the '' Saturday Evening Post''. Josephson's first biographies were ''

Zola Zola may refer to: People * Zola (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * Zola (musician) (born 1977), South African entertainer * Zola (rapper), French rapper * Émile Zola, a major nineteenth-century French writer Plac ...

and His Time'' (1928) and ''

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

'' (1932). Influenced by Charles A. Beard and

the Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...

, and with only one major exception, ''Stendhal: or the Pursuit of Happiness'' (1946), Josephson changed his focus of interest from literature to economic history when he published ''The Robber Barons'' in 1934. This was followed by more full-length works in which Josephson served as a spokesman for intellectuals of his generation who were dissatisfied with the social and political status quo. Josephson wrote two memoirs, ''Life Among the Surrealists'' (1962) and ''Infidel in the Temple'' (1967). He died on March 13, 1978, at the

Community Hospital A community hospital can be purely a nominal designation or have a more specific meaning. When specific, it refers to a hospital that is accessible to the general public, and provides a general or specific medical care which is usually short-term, ...

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

Legacy

Josephson's collected papers are in the Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

Bibliography

*
Galimathias
' (1923) *''Zola and His Time ''(1928, biography) *''Portrait of the Artist as American'' (1930) *''Jean-Jacques Rousseau'' (1932, biography) *''Nazi Culture: The Brown Darkness Over Germany'', John Day (1933) *
The Robber Barons: The Great American Capitalists
' (1934) *

' (1938, essay) *''The President Makers: The Culture of Politics and Leadership in an Age of Enlightenment 1896–1919'' (1940) *''

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

''(1942, biography) *''Empire of the Air:

Juan Trippe Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 – April 3, 1981) was an American commercial aviation pioneer, entrepreneur and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the iconic airlines of the 20th century. He was involved in the introduction of t ...

and the Struggle for World Airways'' (1943) *'' Stendhal'' (1946, biography) *''Sidney Hillman ''(1952, biography) *
Union House Union Bar: The History of the Hotel & Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union, AFL-CIO
' (1956, nonfiction) *'' Edison'' (1959, biography) *''Life Among the Surrealists'' (1962, memoir) *''Infidel in the Temple: a memoir of the 1930s'' (1967, memoir) *''The Money Lords, The Great Finance Capitalists, 1925–1950'' (1972, nonfiction) *'' Al Smith: Hero of the Cities; a Political Portrait Drawing on the Papers of Frances Perkins'' (1969)

References

* David E. Shi, ''Matthew Josephson: Bourgeois Bohemian'' (1981).

External links

* * Matthew Josephson Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Josephson, Matthew 1899 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American poets 20th-century American biographers American male biographers 20th-century American historians American male journalists American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American historians Journalists from New York City 20th-century American memoirists Columbia College (New York) alumni Historians of the United States Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Musicians from Brooklyn 20th-century American musicians American male poets 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American Jews