John Van Duyn Southworth
John Van Duyn Southworth was a notable American educator and author born in 1904 in Syracuse, New York, into a literary family. He graduated from Harvard University in 1926 and later earned a master's degree from Columbia University in 1936. Southworth's professional journey included roles as an editor at the Iroquois Publishing Company and teaching positions at various institutions, including the Birch-Wathen School and Brunswick School, where he eventually became associate headmaster. He also served as dean and head of the history department at Hockaday Junior College in Texas before returning to publishing as president of Iroquois Publishing Company.
Throughout his career, Southworth authored numerous historical works, collaborating extensively with his mother, Gertrude Van Duyn Southworth, on books primarily focused on American history. His published titles include "Monarch and Conspirators: The Wives and Woes of Henry VIII" and "The World Civilization Time Line." In addition to his books, he wrote scripts for radio programs and contributed articles to reputable encyclopedias. John Van Duyn Southworth passed away in 1986, leaving a legacy in both education and historical literature.
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John Van Duyn Southworth
Author
- Born: June 5, 1904
- Birthplace: Syracuse, New York
- Died: February 16, 1986
- Place of death: Syracuse, New York
Biography
John Van Duyn Southworth was born in 1904 in Syracuse, New York, to a literary family; his father was a publisher and his mother was an author. Southworth spent his childhood in Syracuse, where he married Martha Barard Collins in 1925; the couple later had a son. Southworth attended Harvard University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1926. After graduating from college, Southworth was employed as an editor at the Iroquois Publishing Company. He also continued his studies, receiving his master’s degree from Columbia University in 1936.
In 1936, Southworth joined the faculty of the Birch-Wathen School in New York City as a history teacher while also teaching social studies at the YMCA Evening High School. In 1938, he became head of the history department at the Brunswick School in Connecticut and later was named associate headmaster. In 1943, he accepted a position as dean and head of the history department at Hockaday Junior College in Dallas, Texas. He remained there for two years before returning to the Iroquois Publishing Company, where he served first as editor and vice president and later as president. After ten years as president of the publishing firm, Southworth relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he was editor in chief at Nalkyrie Press.
Southworth wrote numerous history books that were published between 1924 and 1986, including Monarch and Conspirators: The Wives and Woes of Henry VIII (1973), Death Valley in 1849: The Luck of the Gold Rush Emigrants (1978), and The World Civilization Time Line (1958). He collaborated with his mother, Gertrude Van Duyn Southworth, on fourteen books, the majority of which were about American history. These titles include The Thirteen American Colonies (1935), Early Days in the New World (1950), and The Story of Our America (1951). Aside from his books, Southworth authored a number of scripts for the radio programs Cavalcade of America, Meet the Composers, and History in Verse. He also contributed articles to the Encyclopedia Americana and Britannica Junior. He died in 1986.