Tudor Storrs Jenks (May 7, 1857 – February 11, 1922) was an American writer, poet, artist and editor, as well as a journalist and lawyer. He is chiefly remembered for the popular works of fiction and nonfiction he wrote for children and general readers. He was married to Amabel Jenks who was also a writer.

Life and family

Jenks was born on May 7, 1857, 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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of Grenville Tudor Jenks and Persis Sophia (Smith) Jenks. His older brother was Almet F. Jenks, presiding justice of the appellate division of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

. His younger brother Paul E. Jenks served as American vice consul in Yokohama, Japan. He was a grand-nephew of

Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (November 29, 1811 – February 2, 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator, and attorney. According to George Lewis Ruffin, a Black attorney, Phillips was seen by many Blacks as "the one whi ...

. He married, October 5, 1882, Mary Donnison Ford. They had three daughters, Dorothy, Pauline, and Amabel, the last of whom Jenks collaborated with on a play. He lived in

Bronxville Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, ...

, where he died at his home, of apoplexy, on February 11, 1922. He was survived by his wife and daughters.

Education

Jenks graduated from

Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

in 1874,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1878, and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1880. He studied art in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in the winter of 1880–1881. Among his classmates at Yale were

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, afterwards president of the United States, and

Arthur Twining Hadley Arthur Twining Hadley (, ; April 23, 1856 – March 6, 1930) was an American economist who served as President of Yale University from 1899 to 1921. Biography He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of James Hadley, Professor of Greek at Y ...

, later president of the university. During his attendance there he became a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

and

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...

."Tudor Jenks Dies Suddenly," ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', February 12, 1922.

Career

Jenks practiced law in New York City from 1881 to 1887, following which he served on the staff of ''

St. Nicholas Magazine ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by th ...

'' as an associate editor from November 1887 – October 1902. Afterwards he resumed law practice with the firm of Jenks & Rogers, of which his brother Almet was the senior partner. He was also a professional writer throughout his working life. His shorter works appeared in numerous magazines, including ''

The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...

'', '' Art World and Arts and Decoration'', ''

Book Buyer A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...

'', '' The Bookman'', '' The Century'', '' Chautauquan'', ''

The Critic ''The Critic'' was an American primetime adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers a ...

'', '' Current Opinion'', '' The Era'', ''

Everybody's Magazine ''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City. History and profile The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little role ...

'', ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', ''

Harper's Monthly Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', ''

Harper's New Monthly Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', ''

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...

'', ''

International Studio ''The Studio: An Illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art'' was an illustrated fine arts and decorative arts magazine published in London from 1893 until 1964. The founder and first editor was Charles Holme. The magazine exerted a major in ...

'', ''

Journal of Education The Journal of Education () is an academic journal, published by SAGE Publishing on behalf of the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, with Hardin Coleman as its editor-in-chief. It bills itself as "the oldest educ ...

'', ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', ''

Lippincott's Monthly Magazine ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become ''Robert M. McBride, McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ...

'', ''

Living Age Eliakim Littell (2 January 1797 – 17 May 1870) was a United States editor and publisher, the founder of a long-lived periodical named ''Littell's Living Age'' (1844-1941). Biography Littell was born in Burlington, New Jersey. He moved to Philad ...

'', ''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Weekly'', later known as ''Munsey's Magazine'', was a 36-page quarto United States, American magazine founded by Frank Munsey, Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs. Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the pe ...

'', ''

Outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

'', ''

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

'', '' The Cosmopolitan'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', '' The Outlook'', ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

'', and ''

World's Work ''The World's Work'' (1900–1932) was a monthly magazine that covered national affairs from a pro-business point of view. It was produced by the publishing house Doubleday, Page and Company, which provided the first editor, Walter Hines Page. Th ...

''. They were extensively anthologized during his own time. His books, almost all of them juveniles, were published by the

Henry Altemus Company The Henry Altemus Company was a publishing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for almost a century, from 1842 to 1936. History The firm started as a bookbindery. In 1863, Altemus was awarded a patent for a particular type of binding f ...

, A. S. Barnes & Company, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, Doubleday, and F.A. Stokes Co., among others. Several were illustrated by

John R. Neill John Rea Neill (November 12, 1877 – September 19, 1943) was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three o ...

. Jenks was a member of the

Authors' Club The Authors' Club is a British membership organisation established as a place where writers could meet and talk. It was founded by the novelist and critic Walter Besant in 1891. It is headquartered at the National Liberal Club. The Authors' Clu ...

Bibliography

Juvenile fiction

*''The Century World's fair book for boys and girls; being the adventures of Harry and Philip with their tutor, Mr. Douglass, at the World's Columbian Exposition'' (1893) (Internet Archive e-text) *''

Imaginotions; Truthless Tales ''Imaginotions; Truthless Tales'' is a collection of nineteen children's fantasy stories by Tudor Jenks. It was first published in hardcover by The Century Co. in 1894; the first British edition was published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1900. Illustr ...

'' (1894) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text) *''Galopoff, the Talking Pony; a story for young folks'' (1901) *''Gypsy the Talking Dog; a story for young folks'' (1902) *''The Defense of the Castle, a story of the siege of an English castle in the thirteenth century'' (1903) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text) *''Making a Start'' (1903) *''A Little Rough Rider'' (1904) *''The Doll That Talked'' (1906) *''The Astrologer's Niece'' (1973)

Magic Wand series

*''The Magic Wand'' (1905) (Internet Archive e-text) *''Romero and Julietta'' (1905) *''A Magician for One Day'' (1905) (Google e-text) *''The Prince and the Dragons'' (1905) *''Timothy's Magical Afternoon'' (1905) (Google e-text) *''The Rescue Syndicate'' (1905)

What Shall I Be? series

*''The Fireman'' (1911) *''The Sailor'' (1911)

Short stories

*"Prehistoric Photography" *"The Tongaloo Tournament" *"The Dragon's Story" *"A Duel in a Desert" *"The Sequel" *"A Lost Opportunity" (1894) *"The Astrologer's Niece" *"The Astrologer's Niece Marries" *"The Winning of Vanella" *"The Professor and the Patagonian Giant" *"The Prince's Councilors" *"Teddy and the Wolf" *"Little Plunkett's Cousin" *"Professor Chipmunk's Surprising Adventure" *"The Satchel" *"Good Neighbors" *"Anthony and the Ancients" *"A Yarn of Sailor Ben's" *"The Statue" *"The Department of Athletics" (1894) *"A Literary Conversation" (1898) *"A Novel Ruined" (1899) *"A Supernatural Swindle" (1899) *"At the Door" (1899) *"The Umbrella of Justice" (1901) *"The Detective and the Ring" (1905) *"The Master Passion" (1905) *"A Concrete Example" (1905) *"Why Duillius Dined at Home" (1909) *"A Practical Problem" (1921)

Drama

*"Quits: a Dialogue Farce in Two Scenes" (1893) *"Abbie's Accounts: a Monologue" (1897) *"The Baron's Victim: A Mellow Drama" (with Duffield Osborne) (1898) *"Diplomatic Reserve: a Dialogue" (1898) *"Parried" (1899) *"At the Door: a Little Comedy" (1899) *"Waiting for the Ring: a Monologue" (1902) *"The Lady and the Telephone" (1904) *''Dinner at Seven Sharp; a comedy in one act'' (1917) (with Amabel Jenks) (Google e-text)

Poetry

*"Bric-a-Brac" (1888) *"A Thank-ye-Ma'am (To J.W.R.)" (1889) *"A Reader's Choice" (1890) *"How Curious! Said One Little Girl to Another Little Girl" (1894) *"An Accommodating Lion" (ca 1894) *"A Christmas Song" (1895) *"Little Miss Pigeon" (1897) *"Punishment" (1897) *"Tidy Housekeeper" (1897) *"New Neighbor" (1898) *"King and Minstrel" (1899) *"Immortality" (1899) *"A Prayer" (1899) *"Two Valentines" (1900) *"Boast Fulfilled" (1900) *"On the Road" (1900) *"Pleased Customer" (1901) *"At Cupid's Counter" (1901) *"Interchange" (1901) *"Queen's Messenger" (1902) *"New Sentry and the Little Boy" (1902) *"A Merry-Go-Round" (1903) *"Little Elfin Nurse" (1903) *"Baby's Name" (1903) *"A Creed" (1903) *"The Battlefield" (1904) *"A Feat of Memory" (1904) *"Eternal Feminine" (1904) *"Three Lessons" (1905) *"June" (1905) *"Pastoral" (1905) *"The Very Earliest" (1905) *"Three Lessons" (1905) *"Waiting for the Train" (1905) *"Stop Thief!" (1906) *"Sold" (1906) *"N. E. W. S." (1906) *"Old Mammy Tipsytoes" (1906) *"Change of View" (1906) *"Modern Boy" (1906) *"Demon of Notre Dame" (1907) *"For Spellers" (1908) *"How We Say It" (1908) *"Months and the Jewels" (1909) *"The Rime of the Moderne Millionaire" (1909) *"Rien du Tout" (1910) *"Words Without Songs" (1910) *"Lucky Man" (1911) *"The Portrait and the Artist" (1912) *"Brave Little Girl" (1914) *"Little Supposing" (1914) *"After School" (1915) *"Portrait by Velasquez" (1916) *"Here's How!" (1916) *"Short Flight" (1916) *"In Italy" (1917) *"Way to the Fairies" (1917) *"A Timely Petition" (1917) *"The Song of the Collar-Button" (1917) *"Aquarellist Vision" (1918) *"Fairyland Fashions" (1919) *"A Summing Up" (1919) *"Words Without Songs" (1910) *"Small and Early" *"The Spirit of the Maine" *"In a Library" *"An Old Bachelor"

Nonfiction

Biography

=Lives of Great Writers

= *''In the Days of Chaucer'' (1904) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text) *''In the Days of Shakespeare'' (1904) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text) *''In the Days of Milton'' (1905) (Google e-text) *''In the Days of Scott'' (1906) (Google e-text) *''In the Days of Goldsmith'' (1907) (Google e-text) *''In the Days of Bacon'' (1908)

=Other

= *''Captain John Smith'' (1904) (Internet Archive e-text) *''Captain Miles Standish'' (1905) (Google e-text)

History

*''The Book of Famous Sieges'' (1909) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text) *''The Boys' Book of Explorations; true stories of the heroes of travel and discovery in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas. From the "Dark Ages" to the "wonderful century"'' (1900) (Internet Archive e-text) *''Our army for our boys; a brief story of its organization, development and equipment from 1775 to the present day'' (1906) *''When America Was New'' (1907) (Internet Archive e-text) *''When America Won Liberty: Patriots and Royalists'' (1909) (Google e-text) *''When America Became a Nation'' (1910)

Science

*''Electricity for Young People'' (1907) (Google e-text) *''Photography for Young People'' (1908) (Google e-text) *''Chemistry for Young People'' (1909; AKA ''Chemistry for Beginners'' (1910)) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text)

Short works

*"The Essay" (1893) *"Scraps" (1894) *"A Miniature Reference Library" (1894) *"Intercivic Humor" (1899) *"A Brief for the Philistine" (1906) *"The Best Books for Children" (1901) *"Can the Jury System Be Improved?" (1903) *"The 'American' Characteristics" (1905)

Edited

*''Tales of Fantasy'' (vol. IV of ''Young Folks' Library'') (1902) (Google e-text) (Internet Archive e-text)

References

*Browne, William B. ''Genealogy of the Jenks family of America''. Concord, N.H.?: W.B. Browne, 1952. * Herringshaw, Thomas William. ''Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century''. Chicago: American Publishers Association, 1902. *Johnson, Rossiter, ed. ''Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans''. Boston: The Biographical Society, 1904. *Kilmer, Joyce. "Too Many Books Spoil the Modern Child," article in ''The New York Times'', February 6, 1916. *"Tudor Jenks Dies Suddenly," article in ''The New York Times'', February 12, 1922. *''Who's Who in America, a Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States, 1903–1905''. Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. *''Who's who in New York City and State : a biographical dictionary of contemporaries''. New York: W.F. Brainard, 1911.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenks, Tudor 1857 births 1922 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American magazine editors American children's writers Children's non-fiction writers American fantasy writers American male journalists Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni American male short story writers Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Members of Skull and Bones