Caspar Whitney
Encyclopedia
Caspar William Whitney (September 2, 1864 – January, 18 1929) was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team
in college football
in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine
.
From 1900, he was an owner and editor-in-chief of the monthly Outing
magazine, which promoted the outdoors and sporting pursuits, as well as a good deal of adventure fiction; authors included Jack London
and Clarence E. Mulford
. He was a founding member of The Explorers Club
(1904) after expeditions in North and South America. He declared bankruptcy in 1910.
As a sports journalist he was an advocate of athletic amateurism and was a member of the International Olympic Committee
(1900–1905) and the American Olympic Committee (President 1906–1910). He wrote on a wide range of subjects including big-game hunting, inter collegiate sporting contests (especially football and baseball), amateur versus professional contests, and the Olympic games. In the early 1900s, he edited "The American Sportsman's Library
," a quality series of 16 volumes.
Whitney testified in a lawsuit against him that he earned a salary of $8,000 (nearly $200,000 inflation adjusted to 2008) for editing Outing and $1,500 (about $35,000 inflation adjusted) for editing the American Sportsman's Library .
Whitney married three times: Anna Childs in 1889, Cora Adele Chase in 1897 and Florence Canfield in 1909. The latter was the daughter of the colorful miner and industrialist Charles Canfield (the subject of a Whitney biography). She participated in founding the League of Women Voters and remained active politically until her death in a motor vehicle accident in 1941.
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
.
From 1900, he was an owner and editor-in-chief of the monthly Outing
Outing (magazine)
Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923....
magazine, which promoted the outdoors and sporting pursuits, as well as a good deal of adventure fiction; authors included Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
and Clarence E. Mulford
Clarence E. Mulford
Clarence E. Mulford was the author of Hopalong Cassidy, written in 1904. He wrote it in Fryeburg, Maine, United States, and the many stories and 28 novels were followed by radio, feature film, television, and comic book versions. Clarence was born in Streator, Illinois. He died of complications...
. He was a founding member of The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
(1904) after expeditions in North and South America. He declared bankruptcy in 1910.
As a sports journalist he was an advocate of athletic amateurism and was a member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(1900–1905) and the American Olympic Committee (President 1906–1910). He wrote on a wide range of subjects including big-game hunting, inter collegiate sporting contests (especially football and baseball), amateur versus professional contests, and the Olympic games. In the early 1900s, he edited "The American Sportsman's Library
American Sportsman's Library
The American Sportsman's Library is an early and important series of 16 uniformly-bound volumes on sporting subjects, from an American perspective, published by the Macmillan Company in the period 1902-1905. Caspar Whitney, the owner/editor of Outing and a well-known outdoorsman and sporting...
," a quality series of 16 volumes.
Whitney testified in a lawsuit against him that he earned a salary of $8,000 (nearly $200,000 inflation adjusted to 2008) for editing Outing and $1,500 (about $35,000 inflation adjusted) for editing the American Sportsman's Library .
Whitney married three times: Anna Childs in 1889, Cora Adele Chase in 1897 and Florence Canfield in 1909. The latter was the daughter of the colorful miner and industrialist Charles Canfield (the subject of a Whitney biography). She participated in founding the League of Women Voters and remained active politically until her death in a motor vehicle accident in 1941.
Books
- Sporting Pilgimage (1895)
- On Snow-Shoes to the Barren Grounds (1896)
- Hawaiian America (1899)
- Musk-Ox, Bison, Sheep and Goat (1904) (with George Bird GrinnellGeorge Bird GrinnellGeorge Bird Grinnell was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1870 and a Ph.D. in 1880. Originally specializing in zoology, he became a prominent early conservationist and student...
and Owen WisterOwen WisterOwen Wister was an American writer and "father" of western fiction.-Early life:Owen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a well-known neighborhood in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of...
) - Jungle Trails and Jungle People (1905)
- Flowing Road (1912)
- What's the Matter with Mexico? (1916)
- Gott mit Uns - the Boche Delusion (1918)
- Hunt Clubs and Country Clubs in America (1928)
- Charles Adelbert Canfield (1930)
Sources
- Dillon Wallace Papers
- Edgar Rice Burroughs Library
- Explorer's Club History