Stewart Edward White (12 March 1873 – September 18, 1946) was an American writer, novelist, and spiritualist. He was a brother of noted mural painter Gilbert White.

Personal life

White was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, the son of Mary E. (Daniell) and Thomas Stewart White, a lumberman. He attended

Grand Rapids High School Grand Rapids High School is a four-year public high school located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, United States, on 800 Conifer Drive. GRHS offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, and has one of the few competitive field show marching band ...

, and earned degrees from

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 ...

(B.A., 1895; M.A., 1903). From about 1900 until about 1922 he wrote fiction and non-fiction about adventure and travel, with an emphasis on natural history and outdoor living. Starting in 1922 he and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Grant White wrote numerous books, that, according to them, were received through channelling with spirits. They also wrote about their travels around the state of California. White died in Hillsborough, California at the age of 73.

Writing

White's books were popular at a time when America was losing its vanishing wilderness. He was a keen observer of the beauties of nature and human nature, yet could render them in a plain-spoken style. Based on his own experience, whether writing camping journals or Westerns, he included pithy and fun details about cabin-building, canoeing, logging, gold-hunting, and guns and fishing and hunting. He also interviewed people who had been involved in the fur trade, the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

and other pioneers which provided him with details that give his novels verisimilitude. He salted in humor and sympathy for colorful characters such as canny Indian guides and "greenhorn" campers who carried too much gear. White also illustrated some of his books with his own photographs, while some of his other books were illustrated by artists, such as the American Western painter

Fernand Lungren Fernand Lungren (1857–1932) was an American painter and illustrator. He was mostly known for his paintings of American South Western landscapes and scenes (in California, New Mexico, Arizona) as well as for New York and European city street sce ...

for "The Mountains" and "Camp and Trail".

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

wrote that White was "the best man with both pistol and rifle who ever shot" at Roosevelt's rifle range at

Sagamore Hill Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located in Cove Neck, New York, near Oyster Bay on the North Shore of Long Island,Bleyer, Bill.When LI place n ...

. ''The Long Rifle'' (1930), ''Folded Hills'' (1932), ''Ranchero'' (1933), and ''Stampede'' (1942) constitute ''The Saga of Andy Burnett,'' which follows a young Pennsylvania farm boy who escapes his overbearing step father by running away to the West with grandmother's blessing and "The Boone Gun", the original Kentucky rifle carried by Daniel Boone. He encounters mountain man Joe Crane, who becomes his mentor in the ways of survival in the wild. The remainder of the saga follows Andy as he moves west, ultimately settling in California, which is the setting of the last three books. The series incorporates actual events and characters from the time period in the narrative. The four stories were published as a posthumous volume, ''The Saga of Andy Burnett'', in 1947, and were adapted into several episodes of '' The Wonderful World of Disney'' during 1957 and 1958, starring

Jerome Courtland Jerome Courtland (December 27, 1926 – March 1, 2012) was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical '' ...

as Andy Burnett, and Jeff York (Mike Fink) as his friend and mentor Joe Crane. This series was in many ways a follow-up to Disney's much more successful ''

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

''.

Honors

In 1927, the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

made White an ''Honorary Scout'', a new category of Scout created the same year. This distinction was given to "American citizens whose achievements in outdoor activity, exploration and worthwhile adventure are of such an exceptional character as to capture the imagination of boys...". The other eighteen who were awarded this distinction were:

Roy Chapman Andrews Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He led a series of expeditions through the politically disturbed C ...

; Robert Bartlett; Frederick Russell Burnham;

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

; George Kruck Cherrie;

James L. Clark James Lippitt Clark (18 November 1883 in Providence, Rhode Island – 1969) was a distinguished American explorer, sculptor and scientist. Following his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and his training at the Gorham Silver Company ...

;

Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...

; Lincoln Ellsworth;

Louis Agassiz Fuertes Louis Agassiz Fuertes (February 7, 1874 Ithaca, New York – August 22, 1927 Unadilla, New York) was an American ornithologist, illustrator and artist who set the rigorous and current-day standards for ornithological art and naturalist depiction ...

; George Bird Grinnell;

Charles A. Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

;

Donald Baxter MacMillan Donald Baxter MacMillan (November 10, 1874 – September 7, 1970) was an American explorer, sailor, researcher and lecturer who made over 30 expeditions to the Arctic during his 46-year career. He pioneered the use of radios, airplanes, a ...

;

Clifford H. Pope Clifford Hillhouse Pope (April 11, 1899 – June 3, 1974) was a noted American herpetologist. He was the son of Mark Cooper Pope and Harriett Alexander (Hull) Pope, and grew up in Washington, Georgia. While in college in the summers of 1919 and ...

;

George P. Putnam George Palmer Putnam (September 7, 1887 – January 4, 1950) was an American publisher, writer and explorer. Known for his marriage to (and being the widower of) Amelia Earhart, he had also achieved fame as one of the most successful promoters in ...

;

Kermit Roosevelt Kermit Roosevelt MC (October 10, 1889 – June 4, 1943) was an American businessman, soldier, explorer, and writer. A son of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, Kermit graduated from Harvard College, served in both Wo ...

;

Carl Rungius Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius (August 18, 1869 – October 21, 1959) was a leading American wildlife artist. He was born in Germany though he immigrated to the United States and he spent his career painting in the western United States and Can ...

; Orville Wright.

Works

* ''The Westerners'' (1901) * ''The Claim Jumpers'' (1901) * ''The Blazed Trail'' (1902) * "Call of the North" (1902) * ''The Conjuror's House'' (1903) * ''The Magic Forest: A Modern Fairy Story'' (1903) * ''Blazed Trail Stories'' (1904) * ''The Forest'' (1904) * ''The Mountains'' (1904) * ''The Silent Places'' (1904) * ''The Pass'' (1906), with S. H. Adams * ''The Mystery'' (1907), with S. H. Adams * ''Arizona Nights'' (1907) * ''Camp and Trail'' (1907) * ''The Riverman'' (1908) * ''The Cabin'' (1910) * ''The Adventures of Bobby Orde'' (1910) * ''Rules of the Game'' (1910) (sequel to ''The Adventures of Bobby Orde'') * ''The Sign at Six'' (1912) * ''The Land of Footprints'' (1912) * ''African Camp Fires'' (1913) * ''Gold'' (1913) * ''The Gray Dawn'' (1915) * ''Rediscovered Country'' (1915) * ''Simba'' (1917) * ''The Forty-Niners; A Chronicle of the California Trail and El Dorado'' (1918) * ''The Killer'' (1919) * ''The Rose Dawn'' (1920) * ''Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout'' (1922) * "The Glory Hole" (1924) * ''Skookum Chuck'' (1925) * ''Lions in the Path; A Book of Adventure on the High Veldt'' (1926) * ''Back of Beyond'' (1926) * ''Secret Harbour'' (1926) * ''Dog Days, Other Times, Other Dogs; The Autobiography of a Man and His Dog Friends Through Four Decades of Changing America'' (1930) * ''The Long Rifle'' (1930) * "The Shepper-Newfounder" (1931) * ''Folded Hills'' (1932) * ''Ranchero'' (1933) * ''Pole Star'' (1935), with Harry DeVighne * ''Wild Geese Calling'' (1940) * ''Stampede'' (1942) THE PSYCHIC BOOKS: * ''Credo'' (1925) * ''Why Be a Mud Turtle'' (1928) These first two books are "pre" Betty´s book. White discusses the philosophy of the future books, without revealing the source (the channeling through his wife Betty). * ''The Betty Book'' (1937)Stewart Edward WHITE (1873-1946
The Betty Book (1937)
/ref> * ''Across the Unknown'' (1939), with Harwood White * ''The Unobstructed Universe'' (1940) (Considered the most important of the collection) * ''The Road I Know'' (1942) * ''Anchors to Windward'' (1939) * ''The Stars are Still There'' (1946) * ''With Folded Wings'' (1947) * ''The Gaelic Manuscripts'' NONFICTION: * ''The Birds of Mackinac Island''

Filmography

*'' The Call of the North'', directed by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...

and

Oscar Apfel Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Apf ...

(1914, based on the novel ''The Conjuror's House'') *'' The Westerners'', directed by Edward Sloman (1919, based on the novel ''The Westerners'') *''

The Leopard Woman ''The Leopard Woman'' is a 1920 American silent adventure romance drama film starring Louise Glaum, House Peters, and Noble Johnson. Directed by Wesley Ruggles and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the screenplay was adapted by H. Tipton Steck ...

'', directed by

Wesley Ruggles Wesley Ruggles (June 11, 1889 – January 8, 1972) was an American film director. Life and work He was born in Los Angeles, California, younger brother of actor Charlie Ruggles. He began his career in 1915 as an actor, appearing in a doz ...

(1920, based on the novel ''The Leopard Woman'') *'' The Killer'', directed by Jack Conway and Howard Hickman (1921, based on the novel ''The Killer'') *'' The Call of the North'', directed by

Joseph Henabery Joseph Henabery (January 15, 1888 – February 18, 1976) of Omaha, Nebraska, was a film actor, screenplay writer, and director in the United States. He is best known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 sile ...

(1921, based on the novel ''The Conjuror's House'') *'' The Gray Dawn'' (1922, based on the novel ''The Gray Dawn'') *''

The Two-Gun Man ''The Two-Gun Man'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by David Kirkland and starring Fred Thomson, Spottiswoode Aitken and Olive Hasbrouck. Plot A returning World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), ofte ...

'', directed by David Kirkland (1926, based on the novel ''Two-Gun Man'') *''

Arizona Nights ''Arizona Nights'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Fred Thomson, Nora Lane, and William Courtright.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 266 Cast * Fred Thomson as Fred Coulter * N ...

'', directed by Lloyd Ingraham (1927, based on a story by Stewart Edward White) *''

Under a Texas Moon ''Under A Texas Moon'' is a 1930 American pre-Code musical Western film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was based on the novel ''Two-Gun Man'' (from 1929) which was written by Stewart Edward White. It was the second all-color, all-tal ...

'', directed by Michael Curtiz (1930, based on the novel ''Two-Gun Man'') *''

Part Time Wife ''Part Time Wife'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and written by Howard J. Green, Leo McCarey and Raymond L. Schrock. The film stars Edmund Lowe, Leila Hyams, Tommy Clifford, Walter McGrail, Louis Payne and Sam ...

'', directed by Leo McCarey (1930, based on the story ''The Shepper-Newfounder'') *'' Mystery Ranch'', directed by David Howard (1932, based on the novel ''The Killer'') *'' Change of Heart'', directed by

James Tinling James Tinling (May 8, 1889 in Seattle – May 14, 1967 in Los Angeles) was an American film director. He worked during the silent period as a prop boy and stuntman, and directed primarily for 20th Century Fox in the 1930s and 1940s. He has bee ...

(1938, based on the story ''The Shepper-Newfounder'') *''

Wild Geese Calling ''Wild Geese Calling'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by John Brahm and starring Henry Fonda and Joan Bennett. It was distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The screenplay was written by Horace McCoy, based on a novel by Stewart Edward White. ...

'', directed by

John Brahm John Brahm (August 17, 1893 – October 12, 1982) was a German film and television director. His films include ''The Undying Monster'' (1942), '' The Lodger'' (1944), ''Hangover Square'' (1945), ''The Locket'' (1946), ''The Brasher Doubloon'' (19 ...

(1941, based on the novel ''Wild Geese Calling'') *''

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

: Saga of Andy Burnett'', directed by

Lewis R. Foster Lewis Ransom Foster (August 5, 1898 – June 10, 1974) was an American screenwriter, film/television director, and film/television producer. He directed and wrote over one hundred films and television series between 1926 and 1960. Selected film ...

(1957–1958, TV miniseries, based on the novel ''The Long Rifle'')

References

Sources

* J. C. Underwood, ''Literature and Insurgency'' (New York, 1914) *Staff report (September 19, 1946). STEWART E. WHITE, NOVELIST, IS DEAD; Author of Stories of Adventure and Frontier Life Was 73—Stricken After Fabled Career CHOKED LEOPARD TO DEATH Writer of 'Blazed Trail' Knew Yukon, Africa and West—Honored as Geographer *"Stewart White, Adventurer and novelist, dies; books captured thrills of own exciting life." Chicago Tribune, September 19, 1946

External links

Stewart Edward White Biography

Guide to the Stewart Edward White Manuscripts
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Stewart Edward 1873 births 1946 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American spiritual writers Mediumship New Age writers Novelists from Michigan Organization founders University of Michigan alumni Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan 20th-century American male writers Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters