George Haven Putnam
Encyclopedia
George Haven Putnam, A.M., Litt.D. (April 2, 1844 – February 27, 1930) was an American
soldier, publisher, and author. He married classical scholar Emily James Smith Putnam
. He was the father of medieval
historian Bertha Haven Putnam, and wind power pioneer Palmer Cosslett Putnam
.
and Victorine Haven Putnam, he was born in London, UK
where his father had been living since 1841 while establishing a branch office for his New York City
publishing company, Wiley & Putnam. In 1848 the family returned to the United States, settling at Stapleton, New York, on Staten Island
. Haven's early instruction was at home by his mother and nurse. He was prepared for college, first, by the Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, who had a class of boys at St. George's Church, of which Dr. Tyng was rector and his son, Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., instructor of a company of cadets. Haven next entered Starr's Military Academy, Yonkers, New York
. In 1857 he attended Prof. John MacMullen's school in upper New York and the Columbia Grammar School conducted by Dr. Anthon after 1859.
He matriculated at Columbia College
in 1861, but the condition of his eyes led his father to send him abroad to consult oculists in Paris
and Berlin
. In Berlin, Putnam placed himself under the care of Baron von Graefe, then the leading oculist of Europe
. As his sight improved, he attended courses of lectures at the Sorbonne
, Paris, devoted to French literature
and the literature and history of Rome
. At the advice of Baron von Graefe, he discontinued lectures after reaching Berlin and sought open-air environments as necessary to complete his treatment. He visited Bayard Taylor
at Gotha
and en route visited the galleries at Dresden
, tramped through Saxony
, Switzerland
, studied Bohemian life at Prague
, passed through the Black Forest
region, saw the toymakers of Nuremberg
, continued the tramp through the pleasant region of the Thüringerwald and finally reached Göttingen
, where he took up his studies at the University of Göttingen. However, with the outbreak of the American Civil War
he left the university without graduating to return home to serve in the Union Army
.
Captured after the Battle of Cedar Creek
near Middletown, Virginia
, George H. Putnam was held for a short time at the notorious Libby Prison
in Richmond, Virginia
before being transferred to Danville
where he was held until March 1865 when he was returned to the Union forces
as part of a prisoner exchange. He attained the rank of major of volunteers. At the war's end, Major Putnam joined his father's publishing business, "G. Putnam Broadway." He was also appointed deputy collector of internal revenue. Years later, following the 1911 marking of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, in 1912 George H. Putnam published an account of his experiences titled "A Prisoner of War in Virginia - An Experience in Virginia Prisons During the Last Winter of the War."
On his father's death in 1872, George H. Putnam and his brothers John Bishop Putnam
and Irving took over the business, renaming it G. P. Putnam's Sons
. George H. Putnam would be made president of the firm, a position he held for the next fifty-two years. In 1884, Putnam hired the then twenty-six-year old Theodore Roosevelt
as a special partner who in the ensuing years would write several works published by Putnam.
Like his father, George H. Putnam was active in numerous civic, social, and business causes. He served on the executive committees of the Civil-service reform association, the Free-trade league and the Reform club. He also aggressively continued with his father's work on copyright
protection for authors. In 1887, he helped organize the American Publishers' Copyright League that led a successful campaign resulting in the 1891 passage of an international copyright protection law.
In 1899, he married Emily James Smith
. George H. Putnam retired in 1924, formally handing over the presidency of G. P. Putnam's Sons to Palmer C. Putnam
. He died in 1930, aged 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier, publisher, and author. He married classical scholar Emily James Smith Putnam
Emily James Smith Putnam
Emily James Smith Putnam was a United States author and educator-Biography:She was the daughter of Justice James C. Smith. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1889 and studied at Girton College, Cambridge University, in 1889-90. She was teacher of Greek at the Packer Collegiate Institute,...
. He was the father of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
historian Bertha Haven Putnam, and wind power pioneer Palmer Cosslett Putnam
Palmer Cosslett Putnam
Palmer Cosslett Putnam was an American consulting engineer and wind power pioneer, the son of George Haven Putnam and Emily Putnam . Putnam graduated from MIT in 1924 as a geologist after serving in the RAF during World War I...
.
Biography
The eldest son of publisher George Palmer PutnamGeorge Palmer Putnam
George Palmer Putnam was an important American book publisher.-Biography:Putnam was born in Brunswick, Maine. On moving to New York City, Putnam was given his first job by Jonathan Leavitt, who subsequently published Putnam's first book...
and Victorine Haven Putnam, he was born in London, UK
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where his father had been living since 1841 while establishing a branch office for his New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
publishing company, Wiley & Putnam. In 1848 the family returned to the United States, settling at Stapleton, New York, on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Haven's early instruction was at home by his mother and nurse. He was prepared for college, first, by the Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, who had a class of boys at St. George's Church, of which Dr. Tyng was rector and his son, Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., instructor of a company of cadets. Haven next entered Starr's Military Academy, Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. In 1857 he attended Prof. John MacMullen's school in upper New York and the Columbia Grammar School conducted by Dr. Anthon after 1859.
He matriculated at Columbia College
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1861, but the condition of his eyes led his father to send him abroad to consult oculists in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In Berlin, Putnam placed himself under the care of Baron von Graefe, then the leading oculist of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. As his sight improved, he attended courses of lectures at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, Paris, devoted to French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and the literature and history of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. At the advice of Baron von Graefe, he discontinued lectures after reaching Berlin and sought open-air environments as necessary to complete his treatment. He visited Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author.-Life and work:...
at Gotha
Gotha
-Places:* Gotha , a town in Thuringia, Germany* Gotha , in Thuringia, Germany* Gotha, Ethiopia* Gotha, Florida, a town in the United States* Saxe-Gotha, a former Thuringian duchy* Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, a former Thuringian duchy...
and en route visited the galleries at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, tramped through Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, studied Bohemian life at Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, passed through the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
region, saw the toymakers of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, continued the tramp through the pleasant region of the Thüringerwald and finally reached Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, where he took up his studies at the University of Göttingen. However, with the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he left the university without graduating to return home to serve in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
.
Captured after the Battle of Cedar Creek
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...
near Middletown, Virginia
Middletown, Virginia
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,265 at the 2010 census.- History :Belle Grove Plantation, about a mile southwest of Middletown, was first settled in about 1750 and its historic Federal-style manor house was completed in 1797...
, George H. Putnam was held for a short time at the notorious Libby Prison
Libby Prison
Libby Prison was a Confederate Prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the harsh conditions under which prisoners from the Union Army were kept.- Overview :...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
before being transferred to Danville
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
where he was held until March 1865 when he was returned to the Union forces
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as part of a prisoner exchange. He attained the rank of major of volunteers. At the war's end, Major Putnam joined his father's publishing business, "G. Putnam Broadway." He was also appointed deputy collector of internal revenue. Years later, following the 1911 marking of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, in 1912 George H. Putnam published an account of his experiences titled "A Prisoner of War in Virginia - An Experience in Virginia Prisons During the Last Winter of the War."
On his father's death in 1872, George H. Putnam and his brothers John Bishop Putnam
John Bishop Putnam
John Bishop Putnam was treasurer and a director of the venerable book publishing firm founded by his father, G.P. Putnam & Sons. He was born in Staten Island, New York on July 17, 1849 to George Palmer and Mrs. Victorine Haven Putnam, a year after his father founded the firm...
and Irving took over the business, renaming it G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
. George H. Putnam would be made president of the firm, a position he held for the next fifty-two years. In 1884, Putnam hired the then twenty-six-year old Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
as a special partner who in the ensuing years would write several works published by Putnam.
Like his father, George H. Putnam was active in numerous civic, social, and business causes. He served on the executive committees of the Civil-service reform association, the Free-trade league and the Reform club. He also aggressively continued with his father's work on copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
protection for authors. In 1887, he helped organize the American Publishers' Copyright League that led a successful campaign resulting in the 1891 passage of an international copyright protection law.
In 1899, he married Emily James Smith
Emily James Smith Putnam
Emily James Smith Putnam was a United States author and educator-Biography:She was the daughter of Justice James C. Smith. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1889 and studied at Girton College, Cambridge University, in 1889-90. She was teacher of Greek at the Packer Collegiate Institute,...
. George H. Putnam retired in 1924, formally handing over the presidency of G. P. Putnam's Sons to Palmer C. Putnam
Palmer Cosslett Putnam
Palmer Cosslett Putnam was an American consulting engineer and wind power pioneer, the son of George Haven Putnam and Emily Putnam . Putnam graduated from MIT in 1924 as a geologist after serving in the RAF during World War I...
. He died in 1930, aged 85.
Writings
Among Putnam's writings are scholarly and historical publications, but he also wrote children's books such as The Artificial Mother (1894) and The Little Gingerbread Man (1910). Other published works:- Authors and Publishers (1882) (co-authored with brother, John Bishop Putnam)
- Anecdotes of Luther and the Reformation (1883)
- Books and Their Makers during the Middle Ages (2 vol. – 1896 & 1897)
- Washington Irving, his life and work (1903)
- Censorship of the Church of Rome and Its Influence Upon the Production and Distribution of Literature, Part 1 (1906)
- Abraham Lincoln (1909) (Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
) - A Prisoner of War in Virginia (1912)
- Memories of My Youth (1914)
- Memories of a Publisher (1915)
- Some Memories of the Civil War (1924)