George Horatio Derby
George Horatio Derby (1823-1861) was a notable American topographical engineer and author known for his humorous writings during the 1850s. A graduate of West Point, Derby served in the Mexican War, where he was injured at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, earning a promotion for his bravery. His career included participating in significant exploratory expeditions, such as those investigating the source of the Mississippi River and assessing the navigability of the Colorado River. Derby's playful nature sometimes clashed with military decorum, leading to a transfer to San Diego in 1854 after a series of humorous yet controversial actions that irked then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis.
In San Diego, Derby penned witty observations about California life under the pseudonym John Phoenix, which were later compiled in the popular anthology *Phoenixiania*. His comedic writings, which parodied various aspects of daily life and his own professional experiences, gained popularity among contemporaries including Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt. Derby married Mary Angeline Coons in 1854 and they had three children. His later assignments included overseeing lighthouse construction, but exposure to harsh conditions affected his health, ultimately leading to his death in 1861.
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George Horatio Derby
Writer
- Born: April 3, 1823
- Birthplace: Dedham, Massachusetts
- Died: May 15, 1861
Biography
George Horatio Derby, a topographical engineer in the United States Army, was the author of humorous sketches published under various pseudonyms in California newspapers in 1850’s. Known among friends and colleagues as a practical joker, Derby was nonetheless quite capable in his duties as a cartographer of some of the most desolate places in California.
Derby, the great grandson of a prominent Salem merchant, was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. Educated at West Point, Derby fought in the Mexican War and was seriously injured at the battle of Cerro Gordo; his valor in this battle earned him a promotion to second lieutenant. After the war, Derby participated in several important exploratory expeditions, including one to the source of the Mississippi River in Minnesota and another that established the navigability of the Colorado River.
Derby’s sense of humor could cross into his military persona, however, and his tomfoolery reportedly led to his transfer to San Diego in 1854, a less-than-plum assignment in those days. Reports vary as to what Derby did to earn the scorn of then-secretary of war Jefferson Davis. Some sources claim he jokingly concluded a report on the upstream conditions of the Tombigbee River by writing, “my conclusion is that the Tombigbee River does not run up, but down!” while another asserts that he submitted a proposal for uniform redesign that included a paper hat and epaulets that also worked as brushes. In either case, he found himself in San Diego, supervising the construction of a dike that diverted the flow of the San Diego River.
On a previous assignment to California, Derby had made the acquaintance of John Judson Ames, publisher of the San Diego Herald. Ames allowed Derby to publish humorous observations on life in California under the name John Phoenix. The Phoenix columns parodied all aspects of life, from musical performances the very government-surveying expeditions Derby was conducting in his day job. The John Phoenix sketches were anthologized in the 1855 volume Phoenixiania, which was reprinted frequently in the late 1800’s and was a favorite read of both the writer Mark Twain and President Theodore Roosevelt. Derby published under other pseudonyms as well, including Squibob, the “author” of an 1861’s The Squibob Papers. Derby married Mary Angeline Coons in San Francisco in 1854, and together they had three children. In 1857, Derby was assigned to supervise lighthouse construction in Florida and Louisiana. The exposure to the elements occasioned by this assignment led Derby to contract sunstroke, which damaged his vision and otherwise deteriorated his health. He died of associated ailments in 1861.