Paul Leicester Ford
Paul Leicester Ford was an American author and historian born in 1865, who distinguished himself through a diverse body of work despite his brief life, which ended tragically at the age of thirty-seven. Educated at home due to a spinal injury, Ford had access to an extensive library, which fueled his early interest in literature and history. He began his literary career at a young age, producing a genealogy of the Webster family on a home printing press at just eleven years old. His initial contributions included bibliographies and reprints of colonial works, eventually leading to significant editions related to prominent figures such as Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson.
Ford gained recognition for his biographies that humanized historical figures, notably in works like "The True George Washington" and "The Many-Sided Franklin." However, he is perhaps best remembered for his novels, particularly "The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him," which became a bestseller and resonated with readers for its political themes. His other notable work, "Janice Meredith: A Story of the American Revolution," also achieved significant popularity. Ford's life was abruptly ended in 1902 when he was fatally shot by his brother, leaving behind a legacy of literary contributions and a daughter born posthumously. His early death provokes curiosity about the potential further achievements he might have had.
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Paul Leicester Ford
Writer
- Born: 1865
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: 1902
Biography
Paul Leicester Ford accomplished a great deal in his brief life. Born in 1865, he was educated at home after an early and severe injury to his spine, but his father’s library of more than fifty thousand volumes included the best collection of American materials in the country. Ford produced his first work, a genealogy of the Webster family (the lexicographer Noah Webster was his great-grandfather) on a home printing press when he was just eleven.
Ford’searliest published works were bibliographies (e.g., The Checklist of American Magazines Published in the Eighteenth Century), and reprints of colonial American works. Ford collected rare items from his father’s library in Winnowings in American History, 15 volumes, 1890-1891. However, he soon moved on to editions of The Works of Thomas Jefferson and The Writings of John Dickinson, among other works.
Ford also wrote several biographies, including The True George Washington and The Many-Sided Franklin, biographies noteworthy because he made his subjects human without indulging in the hero worship that had characterized most nineteenth century life studies. He also edited The Library Journal from 1890 to 1893, and was briefly managing editor of Charities Review.
Ford was probably best known for his novels. His first, The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him, was a political novel set in New York City and based on the career of Grover Cleveland. It became an immediate best seller; by 1945 the work had gone through seventy-six printings and sold more than half a million copies. His novel Janice Meredith: A Story of the American Revolution, sold 200,000 copies and also had a long run as a play. He published three other novels, but none matched the popularity of these two.
Ford’s productive life was cut short in 1902, at the age of thirty-seven, when he was shot and killed by his brother Malcolm, who had been disinherited by their father. He left a wife and a daughter born after his death. Given his prolific output, it is hard to imagine what Ford would have accomplished had he lived.