George Todd Downing (March 29, 1902 – January 9, 1974), a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, was one of the first commercially published mystery writers of Native American descent and one of the first successful mystery writers from Oklahoma.

Biography

Downing was born on March 29, 1902 in Atoka,

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

(now

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

). His paternal grandmother, Millissa Armstrong came to present-day Oklahoma as part of the

Choctaw Trail of Tears The Choctaw Trail of Tears was the attempted ethnic cleansing and relocation by the United States government of the Choctaw Nation from their country, referred to now as the Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana), to lands we ...

in 1830. She married George T. Downing and their son, Samuel, was born in the Choctaw Nation in 1872. Samuel, Todd Downing's father, served in the Rough Riders as an interpreter, was a member of the Oklahoma statehood delegation to Washington, D.C., and a member of the Choctaw Tribal Council. He married, Todd Downing's mother, Maude Miller, in 1899. Todd Downing was a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

student at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied languages and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1924 and a Master's in 1928. He spoke five languages: Choctaw, English, Spanish, French, and Italian. As a student and following graduation, he wrote book reviews for ''

Books Abroad ''World Literature Today'' is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The stated goal of the magazine is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book review ...

'' and the '' Daily Oklahoman''. From 1928 to 1934, he was the business manager for ''Books Abroad''. He also led tours to Mexico, which inspired his first book, ''Murder on Tour'', featuring the recurring character,

U.S. Customs The United States Customs Service was the very first federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted ...

Agent Hugh Rennert. In the space of nine years, Downing published six Hugh Rennert novels, two mysteries featuring the character Sheriff Peter Bounty, and a non-fiction book, ''The Mexican Earth'', telling Mexican history from an indigenous perspective. After finding some success as a writer, Downing moved to New York City and then Philadelphia, where he worked in advertising, including for a time at N. W. Ayer and Son. In 1942, his novel ''The Cat Screams'' was adapted into a Broadway play at the

Martin Beck Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...

, but it closed after just seven performances. In 1951, Downing returned to Atoka and cared for his elderly parents in his family home. He began a new career as a high school teacher in Atoka. He also wrote newspaper articles on the Choctaw language and he periodically taught Choctaw at the college level. In 1971, the Bureau of Indian Affairs published some of his Choctaw language writings as ''Chahta Anampa''. When Downing died in 1974, his books were out of print and little remembered. In 1996, the University of Oklahoma Press reissued ''The Mexican Earth,'' with a critical introduction by Wolfgang Hochbruck. In recent years, Coachwhip Publications, the

Mysterious Press The Mysterious Press is an American publishing company specializing in mystery fiction based in New York City. The company, founded in 1975 by Otto Penzler, has been associated with various publishing companies over the years, most recently with Gr ...

, and

Open Road Media Open Road Integrated Media or ORIM (stylized as OR/M and also called Open Road) is a digital media company in New York City that was created by Jane Friedman and Jeffrey Sharp in 2009 with a focus on publishing ebook editions of older works of li ...

have brought Downing's mystery novels back into print. Recent scholarship suggests the Downing, who never married, was gay

Bibliography

* ''The Life and Works of

Florencio Sánchez Florencio Sánchez (January 17, 1875 – November 7, 1910) was a Uruguayan playwright, journalist and political figure. He is considered one of the founding fathers of theater in the River Plate region of Argentina and Uruguay. Biography Fl ...

'' (M.A. thesis, 1928) * ''Murder on Tour'' (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1933). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''The Cat Screams'' (

The Crime Club ''The Crime Club'' was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series, and a 1937-1939 film series. Literature Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their fir ...

, 1934). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''Vultures in the Sky'' (

, 1935). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''Murder on the Tropic'' (

, 1935). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''The Case of the Unconquered Sisters'' (

, 1936). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''The Last Trumpet: Murder in a Mexican Bull Ring'' (

, 1937). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''Night Over Mexico'' (

, 1937). A Hugh Rennert mystery. * ''Death Under the Moonflower'' (

, 1938). A Sheriff Peter Bounty mystery. * ''The Mexican Earth'' (Doubleday, Doran, 1940). Nonfiction. * ''The Lazy Lawrence Murders'' (

, 1941). A Sheriff Peter Bounty mystery. * ''Chahta Anampa: An Introduction to Choctaw Grammar'' (Area Office of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1971) * ''Cultural Traits of the Choctaws'' (Choctaw Bilingual Education Program, Southeastern State College, 1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, George Todd Novelists from Oklahoma 1902 births 1974 deaths Choctaw people Schoolteachers from Oklahoma 20th-century American educators Native American novelists 20th-century American male writers People from Atoka, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni American mystery novelists American male novelists 20th-century American novelists

Biography

Bibliography

Further reading and scholarship

References