Hutchins Hapgood
Hutchins Hapgood (1869-1944) was an American author and journalist known for his contributions to the literature of labor and his involvement in the early modernist cultural scene. Born in Chicago and educated at Harvard University, Hapgood initially taught English composition before transitioning to journalism. He began his career in New York City, where he worked for various publications, including the New York Commercial Advertiser and the Evening Post.
Hapgood's most notable work, "The Spirit of Labor" (1907), provides an insightful examination of working-class life and labor politics in America. He was also part of the bohemian culture of Greenwich Village, where he embraced progressive views on love and relationships, notably through his advocacy of "free love" and his nonmonogamous marriage to fellow writer Neith Boyce. His controversial novel, "Story of a Lover," challenged societal norms and was significant in the dialogue surrounding sexual liberation. After personal tragedies, including the loss of his son, Hapgood's prominence waned, and he spent his later years in Key West, Florida, and Provincetown, Massachusetts.
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Subject Terms
Hutchins Hapgood
Writer
- Born: May 21, 1869
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: November 26, 1944
- Place of death: Massachusetts
Biography
Hutchins Hapgood, a late nineteenth century author and journalist, was born in Chicago and received his early education in the public schools of Alton, Illinois. In 1892, Hapgood received his B.A. from Harvard University in Massachusetts. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Hapgood briefly attended universities in both Berlin and Freiburg, Germany, before returning to Harvard University and receiving his M.A. in 1897.
For the next several years, Hapgood taught English composition at Harvard University and then at the University of Chicago. Eventually, he left teaching and pursued a career in journalism. Hapgood received his first job as a journalist in New York City where he worked for the New York Commercial Advertiser. While working for this periodical, he met and married Neith Boyce, who was also a writer.
In 1904, Hapgood left New York and moved to Chicago to become the drama critic for the Chicago Evening Post. During this time, Hapgood began collecting notes and writing his most celebrated work, titled The Spirit of Labor (1907). This book was an account of working-class people and the politics which constitute the American labor force.
Hapgood soon returned to New York City to become an editorial writer for the Evening Post, The Press, and The Globe. While living in New York City, he became connected to the radical bohemian counterculture of Greenwich Village and Princeton Village. Hapgood and his wife were believers in “free love” and practiced a nonmonogamous, or “open” marriage. As an advocate of free love, Hapgood wrote the controversial novel, Story of a Lover, which was an explicit recantation of his wife’s extramarital affairs. Story of a Lover was initially suppressed as being pornographic; however, when it was finally released, it was credited with having paved the way for sexual radicals in the early modernist culture. In 1918, after the death of his oldest son, Hapgood’s career began to decline. He spent his later years living with his wife in their homes in Key West, Florida, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He died in 1944 in Massachusetts.