William Clark Falkner
Encyclopedia
William Clark Falkner was a soldier
, lawyer
, politician
, businessman, and author
in northern Mississippi
. He is most notable for the influence he had on the work of his great-grandson, author William Faulkner
.
, Falkner lived with his family in Missouri
and Pontotoc, Mississippi
before settling at the age of 17 in Ripley
, Tippah County, Mississippi
. He served in the Mexican-American War and, when the American Civil War
broke out, he raised a company of men and was made colonel in the Second Mississippi Infantry of the Confederate Army. Later, he was demoted in an election of officers; he subsequently formed a unit known as the 1st Mississippi Partisan Rangers. http://www.mississippiscv.org/MS_Units/1st_Regt_MS_Partisan_Rangers.htm He never regained a prominent role in the Confederate Army, but he was forever known as "Colonel Falkner" or just "The Old Colonel" after the war.
During Reconstruction, he was active in rebuilding northern Mississippi and founded the Ship Island, Ripley, and Kentucky Railroad Company. The first and only station on the line was located in what is now the community of Falkner
. On November 5, 1889, he was shot by Richard Simon Thurmond, a former business partner, after having just been elected to serve in the Mississippi legislature. He died the next day.
Falkner was also an author, writing novel
s, poems, a travelogue
, and at least one play. His most famous work was a novel entitled The White Rose of Memphis (New York, G. W. Carleton & co.; 1881), a murder mystery set on board a steamboat
of the same name. This work was popular enough to be reprinted several times in the late 19th and early 20th century.
As a child, Falkner's great-grandson William Faulkner is reported to have said, "I want to be a writer like my great-granddaddy." Whether or not young William actually said this, the elder Falkner served as the model for the character of Colonel John Sartoris, who appeared in the novels Sartoris
(1929) (reissued in an expanded edition as Flags in the Dust
(1973)) and The Unvanquished
(1938) as well as a number of short stories
. Thus, Colonel Falkner is the inspiration for an integral part of the history of Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County
.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, businessman, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in northern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He is most notable for the influence he had on the work of his great-grandson, author William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
.
Biography
Although born in Knox County, TennesseeKnox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, Falkner lived with his family in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc is a city in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, United States. Pontotoc is west of the much larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,625 at the 2010 census...
before settling at the age of 17 in Ripley
Ripley, Mississippi
Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,478 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County....
, Tippah County, Mississippi
Tippah County, Mississippi
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there are 20,826 people, 8,108 households and 5,910 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 per square mile . There were 8,868 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
. He served in the Mexican-American War and, when 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...
broke out, he raised a company of men and was made colonel in the Second Mississippi Infantry of the Confederate Army. Later, he was demoted in an election of officers; he subsequently formed a unit known as the 1st Mississippi Partisan Rangers. http://www.mississippiscv.org/MS_Units/1st_Regt_MS_Partisan_Rangers.htm He never regained a prominent role in the Confederate Army, but he was forever known as "Colonel Falkner" or just "The Old Colonel" after the war.
During Reconstruction, he was active in rebuilding northern Mississippi and founded the Ship Island, Ripley, and Kentucky Railroad Company. The first and only station on the line was located in what is now the community of Falkner
Falkner, Mississippi
Falkner is a town in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 212 at the 2000 census. The town was named for William Clark Falkner, the great-grandfather of author William Faulkner.-Geography:Falkner is located at ....
. On November 5, 1889, he was shot by Richard Simon Thurmond, a former business partner, after having just been elected to serve in the Mississippi legislature. He died the next day.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, poems, a travelogue
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
, and at least one play. His most famous work was a novel entitled The White Rose of Memphis (New York, G. W. Carleton & co.; 1881), a murder mystery set on board a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
of the same name. This work was popular enough to be reprinted several times in the late 19th and early 20th century.
As a child, Falkner's great-grandson William Faulkner is reported to have said, "I want to be a writer like my great-granddaddy." Whether or not young William actually said this, the elder Falkner served as the model for the character of Colonel John Sartoris, who appeared in the novels Sartoris
Sartoris
Sartoris is a novel, first published in 1929, by the American author William Faulkner. It portrays the decay of the Mississippi aristocracy following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. The 1929 edition is an abridged version of Faulker's original work. The full text was published in...
(1929) (reissued in an expanded edition as Flags in the Dust
Flags in the Dust
Flags in the Dust is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, completed in 1927. His publisher heavily edited the manuscript with Faulkner's reluctant consent, removing about 40,000 words in the process. That version was published as Sartoris in 1929...
(1973)) and The Unvanquished
The Unvanquished
The Unvanquished is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, set in Yoknapatawpha County. It tells the story of the Sartoris family, who first appeared in the novel Sartoris . The Unvanquished takes place before that story, and is set during the American Civil War...
(1938) as well as a number of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
. Thus, Colonel Falkner is the inspiration for an integral part of the history of Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County
Yoknapatawpha County
Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional county created by the American author William Faulkner, based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi and its county seat of Oxford, Mississippi...
.