Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Hendrik Willem Van Loon was a Dutch-American historian and journalist, born on January 14, 1882, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He demonstrated a passion for history from a young age and immigrated to the United States in 1902 to pursue his education, eventually earning a degree from Cornell University. Van Loon's career included stints as a reporter for the Associated Press, where he covered significant events in Eastern Europe, and as a correspondent during World War I. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1919.
Van Loon is perhaps best known for his engaging writing style and his ability to present historical narratives in a way that appealed to younger audiences. His notable work, "The Story of Mankind," published in 1921, won the first Newbery Medal and became a beloved history book for children, despite facing criticism for its perceived lack of scholarly rigor. Throughout his life, Van Loon wrote extensively about Dutch history and maintained a significant presence in media as a radio broadcaster during World War II. He passed away on March 11, 1944, leaving behind a legacy of making history accessible and engaging for general readers, particularly children.
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Subject Terms
Hendrik Willem Van Loon
Historian
- Born: January 14, 1882
- Birthplace: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Died: March 11, 1944
- Place of death: Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Biography
Hendrik Willem Van Loon was born on January 14, 1882, in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, to Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Elisabeth Johanna Hanken Van Loon. Eight-year-old Van Loon moved to The Hague with his family and studied with Jan Hanken, his uncle, before enrolling at Noorthey boarding school. Van Loon immersed himself in historical studies as a child, aspiring to become an historian.
In July, 1902, Van Loom immigrated with his uncle to the U.S. to attend school. He initially enrolled in Cornell University’s law school. Van Loon studied for one year at Harvard University. He then received an A.B. degree from Cornell University in 1905. On June 18, 1906, he married Elize Bowditch.
During 1906, Van Loon, who had secured employment with the Associated Press, first worked in Washington, D.C., then went to Eastern Europe with his wife to submit articles about strife in Russia. Their two sons were born while Van Loon worked and studied in Europe. Quitting his journalism position, Van Loon moved to Germany to attend graduate school, studying European history at the University of Munich. He completed a Ph.D. in 1911 before relocating to Washington, D.C., working as an Amsterdam Handelsblad correspondent. Renewing his Associated Press credentials, he reported from Holland during World War I.
Van Loon gained U.S. citizenship on January 14, 1919. After his divorce from his first wife was finalized in 1920, Van Loon married Eliza Helen (Jimmie) Criswell on August 3, 1920, whom he divorced seven years later. He moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1921 to teach one year at Antioch College, then accepted a year- long editorial position working with H. L. Mencken at the Baltimore Sun.
On October 27, 1927, Van Loon married actress Frances Goodrich Ames. That marriage ended in divorce in 1929, and Van Loon reconciled with his second wife. During the 1930’s, Van Loon worked as a radio broadcaster. When World War II began, Van Loon, identifying himself as Uncle Hank, transmitted a Dutch-language program by shortwave radio to occupied Holland. Weakened by a heart attack, Van Loon died on March 11, 1944, at his Old Greenwich, Connecticut, residence.
Van Loon wrote histories, many featuring Dutch topics. Because H. G. Wells’s Outline of History was popular, Van Loon wrote and illustrated a world history for young readers, The Story of Mankind. Reviewers noted that Van Loon’s writing style tended to include entertaining storytelling elements and unconventional literary devices rather than dry academic prose. As a result, many critics dismissed him as not being scholarly, labeling him a children’s writer who profited from his omissions and distortions of history. Van Loon disliked that categorization, but his books appealing to young readers became best sellers and helped popularize historical topics.
The Story of Mankind received the inaugural Newbery Medal in 1922. Because that book had enduring appeal, publishers revised it throughout the twentieth century, incorporating historical and cultural information relevant to modern readers. Translations expanded Van Loon’s readership worldwide, his work being the main history book many children read.