Carleton Beals (November 13, 1893 – April 4, 1979) was an American journalist, writer, historian, and political activist with a special interest in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. A major journalistic coup for him was his interview with the

Nicaraguan Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and ...

rebel Augusto Sandino in February 1928. In the 1920s he was part of the cosmopolitan group of intellectuals, artists, and journalists in Mexico City. He remained an active, prolific, and politically engaged leftist journalist and is the subject of a scholarly biography.

Early life and education

Beals was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. His father, Leon Eli Beals, lawyer and journalist, was the stepson of

Carrie Nation Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846June 9, 1911), often referred to as Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, was an American who was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent ...

, the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

advocate. His mother was Elvina Sybilla Blickensderfer. His brother, Ralph Leon Beals, was the first

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. The family moved from Kansas when Beals was age three, and he attended school in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. After graduating from high school in 1911, he worked a variety of jobs while attending the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, where he studied engineering and mining. He won the Bonnheim Essay Prize and the Bryce History Essay Prize. After graduating in 1916,"Beals, Carleton," in ''Historians of Latin America in the United States, 1965: Biobibliographies of 680 Specialists''. Ed. Howard F. Cline. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1966, 8.

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

, he attended

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

on a graduate scholarship, earning a master's degree in 1917.

Career

Unable to find work as a writer, Beals took a job with

Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company was a corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The ...

, but it did not suit him. In 1918, he spent a brief period of time in jail as a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

draft evader. Upon release, he decided to go see the world, and with what little money he had, Beals and his wife Lillian drove to Mexico. There, he founded the English Preparatory Institute in 1919, taught at the American High School during 1919 to 1920, and was on the personal staff of President Carranza (1920). They left Mexico in 1921 for Europe where Beals studied at the University of Madrid, and then the University of Rome. Back in Mexico, he became a correspondent for ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly 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 ...

'', separated from his wife, and became romantically involved with photographer Tina Modotti's sister, Mercedes. In February 1928,

Oswald Garrison Villard Oswald Garrison Villard (March 13, 1872 – October 1, 1949) was an American journalist and editor of the ''New York Evening Post.'' He was a civil rights activist, and along with his mother, Fanny Villard, a founding member of the NAACP. In ...

, editor of ''The Nation'', sent Beals to

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

to write a series of articles. He became notable as the only foreign journalist who interviewed General Augusto Sandino during Nicaragua's 1927–33 war against US military occupation. In all, Beals wrote over 200 magazine articles for publications such as the '' New Republic'' and ''

Harper's 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 United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

''. Beals also wrote more than 45 books, including on history, geography, and travel. Some of his books are written for a juvenile audience. His autobiography, ''Glass Houses'', was published by J.B. Lippincott Company in 1938. In 1931, Beals was awarded the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...

Fellowship for biographies. His biography subjects included

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

, Huey P. Long, Roberto de la Selva, Stephen F. Austin, John Eliot,

, and

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

. During his career, Beals witnessed Mexican revolutions, lectured on Shakespeare, and was held incommunicado by a Mexican general. His travels took him to

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. He was a Ford Hall Forum speaker in 1936, and a member of the American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky in 1937. The following year, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine called Beals, "the best informed and the most awkward living writer on Latin America."

Later life

During the 1960s, he supported the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Beals was a hero to the young people of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

.Applegate, p. 22

Selected works

* 1921, ''The Mexican As He is'' * 1922
''Magdalene of Michoacan''
* 1923, ''Rome Or Death; the Story of Fascism'' * 1923
''Mexico; an Interpretation''
( Agrarian land reform in Mexico) * 1925, ''Tasks Awaiting President Calles of Mexico'' * 1926, ''The Church Problem in Mexico'' * 1927
''Brimstone and Chili: A Book of Personal Experiences in the Southwest and in Mexico''
* 1929, ''Mexico's New Leader'' * 1929, ''Destroying Victor'' * 1930, ''The Coming Struggle for Latin America'' * 1931, ''Mexican Maze'', with illustrations by

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

* 1932, ''Porfirio Díaz. Dictator of Mexico'' * 1932, ''Banana Gold'' * 1933, ''The Crime of Cuba'', with photographs by

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great ...

* 1934, ''Fire on the Andes'' * 1934, ''Black River'' * 1935, ''Rifle Rule in Cuba'' * 1935, ''The Story of Huey P. Long'' * 1936, ''The Stones Awake: A Novel of Mexico'' * 1936, ''Prologue to Cuban Freedom'' * 1937, ''America South'' * 1937, ''The New Genre of Roberto de la Selva'' * 1937, ''The Drug Eaters of the High Andes'' * 1938, ''Glass Houses, Ten Years of Free-Lancing'' * 1939, ''American Earth; the Biography of a Nation'' * 1939, ''The Coming Struggle for Latin America'' * 1940, ''Pan America'' * 1943, ''Dawn over the Amazon'' * 1948, ''Lands of the Dawning Morrow: The Awakening from Rio Grande to Cape Horn'' * 1949, ''The Long Land: Chile'' * 1953, ''First Men of America'' * 1953, ''Stephen F. Austin, Father of Texas'' * 1955, ''Our Yankee Heritage: New England's Contribution to American Civilazation'' * 1956, ''Adventure of the Western Sea'', illustrated by Jacob Landau * 1956, ''Taste of Glory; a Novel'' * 1957, ''John Eliot, the Man Who Loved the Indians (July 31, 1604 – May 20, 1690)'' * 1958, ''House in Mexico'' * 1960, ''Cuba's Revolution: The First Year'' * 1960, ''Brass-Knuckle Crusade; the Great Know-Nothing Conspiracy, 1820–1860'' * 1961, ''Nomads and Empire Builders; Native Peoples and Cultures of South America'' * 1962, ''Cyclone Carry, the Story of Carry Nation'' * 1963, ''Latin America: World in Revolution'' * 1963, ''Eagles of the Andes: South American Struggles for Independence'' * 1965, ''War Within a War; the Confederacy Against Itself'' * 1967, ''Land of the Mayas; Yesterday and Today'' * 1968, ''The Great Revolt and Its Leaders: The History of Popular American Uprisings in the 1890s'' * 1969, ''The Case of Leon Trotsky ev Davydovič Trockij Report of Hearings On the Charges Made Against Him in the Moscow Trails'' * 1970, ''Stories Told by the Aztecs Before the Spaniards Came'' * 1970, ''The Nature of Revolution'' * 1970, ''Great Guerrilla Warriors'' * 1970, ''Colonial Rhode Island'' * 1973, ''The Incredible Incas: Yesterday and Today''

References

External links

Beals' portrait
* Beals' articles:

*
"The Black Shirt Revolution, ''The Nation'', 1922

Beals' testimony, Fair Play for Cuba Committee, 1960

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beals, Carleton 1893 births 1979 deaths Journalists from Kansas American male journalists 20th-century American journalists The Nation (U.S. magazine) people Draft evaders People from Killingworth, Connecticut People from Medicine Lodge, Kansas UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Historians of Latin America 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers Historians from Kansas Historians from Connecticut Writers from Pasadena, California Historians from California Journalists from Connecticut Journalists from California American expatriates in Mexico