Robert Mountsier (1888-1972) was an author, journalist and literary agent for writer

D.H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

."Robert Mountsier, Former Sun Editor," ''The New York Times,'' page 34
/ref>

Personal life

Mountsier was born in

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania Belle Vernon is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It is situated along the Monongahela River abutting two other counties, Westmoreland to the north and Washington across the river. As of the 2020 census Belle Vernon had a population of ...

, on May 14, 1888, the son of Augustine R. Mountsier of Hilgay, England. In 1905, Mounstier, as a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

student, placed second in a competitive examination to be accepted as a

plebe In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

in the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

at Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1909 and received a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

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 ...

. In a 1910 passport application, he described himself as a "student and journalist." He was a resident of Livingston Hall on the Columbia campus.U.S. passport application, May 11, 1910
/ref> In his later life he lived in

Crestwood, New York Crestwood is a neighborhood in Yonkers, New York. Located in northeastern Yonkers, Crestwood is separated by the Bronx River from the village of Tuckahoe. Because the majority of Crestwood is served by the Tuckahoe post office, many residents ide ...

, and died at the age of 84 on November 23, 1972, in a New York City

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

. He was survived by siblings Carl Mountser, Mabel Mountser and Alathea Walker.

Professional work

Mountsier joined the ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'' as literary editor in 1910 and was aviation and automobile editor from 1914 to 1916. In the latter year, he was reporting from the Mexican border, and in

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 ...

he was sent to Europe by the ''New York Herald.'' Afterward, he was employed by the Red Cross and was also with the

American Relief Administration American Relief Administration (ARA) was an American relief mission to Europe and later post-revolutionary Russia after World War I. Herbert Hoover, future president of the United States, was the program director. The ARA's immediate predeces ...

.U.S. passport application, February 28, 1920
/ref> He was also the literary editor of

Judge (magazine) ''Judge'' was a weekly satirical magazine published in the United States from 1881 to 1947. It was launched by artists who had seceded from its rival '' Puck''. The founders included cartoonist James Albert Wales, dime novels publisher Frank To ...

in 1915 under the name A. Robert Mountsier. Between 1916 and 1919 he was in England, France, Turkey and Armenia. In 1920 he returned to Europe on a commercial assignment to investigate business conditions "with special reference to the copper and brass industries."U.S. passport application, May 22, 1919
/ref> After the war Mountsier returned to the ''Sun.'' In 1929 he covered a 140-day around-the-world voyage of the

Hamburg-American Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...

''Resolute.'' The ''Sun'' closed in 1950, and afterward he edited an automotive magazine, ''Old Timers'' for the Automobile Old Timers organization in New York City. Mountsier was also the American

literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwrit ...

for writer

, beginning in October 1920.Jay A. Gertzman and Michael Squires, "New Letters From Thomas Seltzer and Robert Mountsier to D.H. Lawrence," ''DHLawrenceReview.org'
Lawrence broke with his previous agent, J.B. Pinker, and replaced him with Mountsier in New York and Curtis Brown in London.

Books

* ''Soldiers, Sailors and Marines'' * ''Our Eleven Billion Dollars''"Miscellaneous," ''The Boston Globe,'' June 10, 1922, image 7
/ref>

References

1888 births 1972 deaths Literary agents American male journalists University of Michigan alumni Columbia University alumni {{DEFAULTSORT:Mountsier, Robert