Ted Morgan
Encyclopedia
Ted Morgan is a French
-American
writer, biographer, journalist, and historian. He was born Comte St. Charles Armand Gabriel de Gramont in Geneva
. He is the son of Gabriel Antoine Armand, Comte de Gramont (1908–1943), a hero of the French Resistance
who became a French diplomat. Gramont
is an old French noble family, whose name is connected to the city Gramont
, Agramont in Spanish
, in the south French province of Lower Navarre
.
After his father's death in a training flight, Morgan began to lead two parallel lives. He attended Yale University
and worked as a reporter. But he was still a member (albeit a reluctant one) of the French nobility. He was drafted into the French Army
where he served for two years from 1955 to 1957 during the Algerian War, initially as a second lieutenant with a Senegalese regiment of Colonial Infantry and then as a propaganda officer. He subsequently wrote in frank detail of his brutalizing experiences while on active service in the bled (Algerian countryside) and of the atrocities committed by both sides during the Battle of Algiers
.
Following his military service, Morgan returned to the United States and won the Pulitzer Prize
for Local Reporting in 1961 for what was described as "his moving account of the death of Leonard Warren
on the Metropolitan Opera stage." At the time, Morgan was still a French citizen writing under the name of "Sanche De Gramont."
In the 1970s, Morgan stopped using the byline "Sanche De Gramont." He became an American citizen in 1977, renouncing his titles of nobility. The name he adopted as a U.S. citizen, "Ted Morgan," is an anagram
of "De Gramont." The new name was a conscious attempt to discard his aristocratic French past. He had settled on a "name that conformed with the language and cultural norms of American society, a name that telephone operators and desk clerks could hear without flinching" (On Becoming American, 1978). Morgan was featured in the CBS
news program 60 Minutes
in 1978. The segment explored Morgan's reasons for embracing American culture and showed him eating dinner with his family in a fast food
restaurant.
Morgan has written much-admired biographies of Winston Churchill
(a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography in 1983), William S. Burroughs
, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was named a 1982 National Book Award
Finalist for his biography Maugham. He has also written for newspapers and magazines.
In My Battle of Algiers, Morgan says that John Negroponte
is his first cousin.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, biographer, journalist, and historian. He was born Comte St. Charles Armand Gabriel de Gramont in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He is the son of Gabriel Antoine Armand, Comte de Gramont (1908–1943), a hero of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
who became a French diplomat. Gramont
Gramont
Gramont is the name of an old French noble family, whose name is connected to the castle of Gramont, Agramont in Spanish, in the French Basque province of Lower Navarre.- Key representatives :...
is an old French noble family, whose name is connected to the city Gramont
Gramont
Gramont is the name of an old French noble family, whose name is connected to the castle of Gramont, Agramont in Spanish, in the French Basque province of Lower Navarre.- Key representatives :...
, Agramont in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, in the south French province of Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre is a part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. Along with Navarre of Spain, it was once ruled by the Kings of Navarre. Lower Navarre was historically one of the kingdoms of Navarre. Its capital were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais...
.
After his father's death in a training flight, Morgan began to lead two parallel lives. He attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and worked as a reporter. But he was still a member (albeit a reluctant one) of the French nobility. He was drafted into the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
where he served for two years from 1955 to 1957 during the Algerian War, initially as a second lieutenant with a Senegalese regiment of Colonial Infantry and then as a propaganda officer. He subsequently wrote in frank detail of his brutalizing experiences while on active service in the bled (Algerian countryside) and of the atrocities committed by both sides during the Battle of Algiers
Battle of Algiers
Battle of Algiers or Algiers expedition may refer to:* The Siege of Algiers by Spain leading to the establishment of the Peñón of Algiers* The Capture of Algiers by Aruj Barbarossa* The Capture of Algiers by Hayreddin Barbarossa...
.
Following his military service, Morgan returned to the United States and won the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Local Reporting in 1961 for what was described as "his moving account of the death of Leonard Warren
Leonard Warren
Leonard Warren was a famous American opera singer. A baritone, he was a leading artist for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.-Biography:...
on the Metropolitan Opera stage." At the time, Morgan was still a French citizen writing under the name of "Sanche De Gramont."
In the 1970s, Morgan stopped using the byline "Sanche De Gramont." He became an American citizen in 1977, renouncing his titles of nobility. The name he adopted as a U.S. citizen, "Ted Morgan," is an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of "De Gramont." The new name was a conscious attempt to discard his aristocratic French past. He had settled on a "name that conformed with the language and cultural norms of American society, a name that telephone operators and desk clerks could hear without flinching" (On Becoming American, 1978). Morgan was featured in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
news program 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
in 1978. The segment explored Morgan's reasons for embracing American culture and showed him eating dinner with his family in a fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
restaurant.
Morgan has written much-admired biographies of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography in 1983), William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was named a 1982 National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
Finalist for his biography Maugham. He has also written for newspapers and magazines.
In My Battle of Algiers, Morgan says that John Negroponte
John Negroponte
John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...
is his first cousin.
Books (partial list)
- Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War (2010)
- My Battle of Algiers (2005)
- A Covert Life: Jay Lovestone, Communist, Anti-Communist and Spymaster (1999)
- Reds: McCarthyism in Twentieth Century America (2003)
- A Shovel of Stars: The Making of the American West 1800 to the Present (1996)
- Wilderness at Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent (1994)
- An Uncertain Hour: The French, the Germans, the Jews, the Barbie Trial, and the City of Lyon, 1940-1945 (1990)
- Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs (1988)
- FDR: A Biography (1985)
- Churchill: A Young Man in A Hurry (1982)
- Maugham (1980)
- On Becoming American (1978)
- The Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River (1977) (as Sanche de Gramont)
- "Lives To Give" (1971) (as Sanche de Gramont)
- Epitaph for kings (1969) (as Sanche de Gramont)
- The French: Portrait of a people (1969) (as Sanche de Gramont)
- The Secret War: The story of international espionage since 1945 (1962) (as Sanche de Gramont)