Willis J. Abbot
Willis J. Abbot was an influential American journalist and historian, born on March 16, 1863, in New Haven, Connecticut. Growing up in an educationally rich environment, he pursued a law degree from the University of Michigan and soon transitioned into a robust career in journalism that spanned fifty years. Abbot worked for notable publications, including the New York Tribune and the Kansas City Evening News, and later became an editor for Boston's Christian Science Monitor, where he also wrote a popular column titled "Watching the World Go By."
His dedication to journalism extended into the political realm, where he maintained connections with various political leaders and was actively involved in several peace-oriented organizations. An author of at least twenty books, Abbot’s works often focused on military history and aimed at both juvenile and general audiences. His notable publications included "Naval History of the United States" and "The United States in the Great War." Abbot’s autobiography, published in 1933, provides insights into his life and the prominent figures he encountered. He received various accolades throughout his career, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Michigan, and is remembered for his engaging storytelling and ability to convey historical narratives with accessibility and depth. He passed away on May 19, 1934.
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Subject Terms
Willis J. Abbot
Writer
- Born: March 16, 1863
- Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
- Died: May 19, 1934
- Place of death: Brookline, Massachusetts
Biography
Willis John Abbot was born into a family of educators and writers in New Haven, Connecticut, on March 16, 1863. His father, Waldo Abbot, died when Willis was one year old, and his mother, Julia Abbot Smit, later became a physician and head of the National Medical College. In 1884, he completed an LL.B. from the law school of the University of Michigan.
Following graduation, Abbot began his fifty-year career in journalism by working in New Orleans and then at the New YorkTribune. In 1887, he became joint owner of the Kansas City Evening News, where he was editor in chief until the paper closed in 1890. This was followed by a succession of positions in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Battle Creek, Michigan. From 1921, he was associated with Boston’s Christian Science Monitor, first as editor and then as a European correspondent writing a regular column, titled “Watching the World Go By.” In his personal life, he married Marie Mack in 1887, and after her death he married Elsie Maples in 1905. He had one son, Waldo Mack Abbot.
With his active engagement in politics, Abbot established personal friendships with numerous political leaders of the day. He managed the Democratic National Press Bureau in 1900 and was an observer at twenty more political conventions. A proponent of international peace, he promoted the Christian Science Monitor’s peace plan and participated in the World Peace Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other organizations.
Abbot published at least twenty books of popular history, including Panama and the Canal in Picture and Prose (1914), which sold more than a million copies The volumes of his Blue Jacket series, appearing between 1886 and 1921, were designed primarily for juvenile readers. His books tended to overlap his newspaper articles and were frequently devoted to military topics, with titles that included Naval History of the United States (1896), Notable Women in History (1913), and The United States in the Great War (1918). His autobiography, Watching the World Go By (1933), which contained observations about his famous acquaintances, remains an important record of the period.
Among his many awards, Abbot received the Order of the Crown from Romania and an honorary doctorate from the University of Michigan. For seven years he served as the director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He delivered Yale University’s Paul Block lecture on journalism a few weeks before his death on May 19, 1934. Abbot is remembered as a journalist of unusual ability and vision. As a historian, he did no archival research, nor did he write for academic specialists. He did, however, accomplish his goal, which was to produce readable and dependable narratives that were filled with interesting facts and anecdotes.