Marquis James

Marquis James (August 29, 1891, Springfield, Missouri – November 19, 1955) was an American journalist and author, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his works The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston and The Life of Andrew Jackson.

Early life and education

Marquis James was born the fifth child of Houstin James (December 18, 1844 – August 18, 1908), a lawyer, and Rachel Marquis (July 14, 1848 – May 22, 1930), a schoolteacher, on August 29, 1891 in Springfield, Missouri.^[1] Houstin, a Civil War veteran, participated in both the Land run of 1889 and the Land Run of 1893.^[1] While unsuccessful in 1899, Houstin successfully staked a claim southeast of Enid, Oklahoma in the 1893 run and moved his family there in 1894. Houstin died in 1908, and is interred at Enid Cemetery.^[2] Marquis James was educated at East Hill School and Central, and graduated Enid High School in 1910. He attended one year of college at Phillips University.

Career

During high school Marquis James helped found the Quill, Enid's student newspaper.^[3] He became a reporter for Enid Events at 14.^[1] James worked for many of the local papers including Wave Democrat, Enid Morning News, and the Enid Daily Eagle.^[1] He also sent Enid related articles to the Wichita Eagle and The Oklahoman.^[4] Following high school he worked at various newspapers across the country, including as a rewrite editor for the New York Tribune in 1916.^[4]

James served as an Army captain in the First World War, in France from 1917-1919. Following his military service, he became National Director of Publicity for the American Legion and worked on the staff at the American Legion Monthly from 1923 to 1932.^[4]

Personal life and death

James married fellow reporter Bessie Williams Rowland in 1914. The two collaborated on children's books based on James' Pulitzer prize winning biographies. James divorced Rowland in 1952, marrying Jacqueline Mary Parsons in 1954.^[3] James Marquis died suddenly at the age of sixty-four of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 19, 1955. He was working on a biography of Booker T. Washington at the time of his death. The Public Library of Enid and Garfield County dedicated the Marquis James room to him in 1964 which contains artifacts relating to James' life and career.

Books

• A History of the American Legion (1923)
• The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston (1929), for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1930.
• The Border Captain (Volume 1 of the life of Andrew Jackson) (1934)
• They Had Their Hour (1934)
• The Portrait of a President (Volume 2 of the life of Andrew Jackson) (1937)
• The Life of Andrew Jackson (Combined Vols. 1 & 2 above) (1938), for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1938
• Alfred I. DuPont, The Family Rebel (1941)
• Biography of a Business, 1792-1942 (1943)
• Cherokee Strip: A Tale of an Oklahoma Boyhood (1945)
• The Metropolitan Life: A study in business growth (1947)
• Merchant Adventurer: The Story of W.R. Grace (completed 1948, published 1993)
• The Texaco Story, The First Fifty Years: 1902-1952 (1953)
• Biography of a Bank: The Story of Bank of America, with his wife Bessie R. James (1954)

The New Yorker

James also contributed work to The New Yorker, occasionally using the pseudonym "Quid".^[5]

Date	Department	Title	Volume/Part	Page(s)	Subject(s)
February 21, 1925	Washington Notes		1/1	24
February 28, 1925	Profiles	Princess Alice	1/2	9-10	Alice Roosevelt Longworth
February 28, 1925		Washington Notes	1/2	28
March 7, 1925		Washington Notes	1/3	31
May 27, 1950	Amplification				Casey Jones, railroads, folklore
December 3, 1938	That was New York				Astor Place Riot, Edward Z. C. Judson
February 6, 1926	Fiction	Lawndale's winter sports
December 5, 1925	Fiction	Lawndale's fast set
October 3, 1925	Fiction				Crosstown
September 12, 1925	Fiction	Essence of the Campaign
August 29, 1925	Fiction	A Life Briefly Extolled			Quid, an airdale dog.
July 18, 1925	Fiction	Swampscott Correspondence
July 11, 1925		Dayton, Tennessee			Scopes Trial
April 18, 1925	Fiction	This Week's Award			Mayor Hylan

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Rockwell, Stella, ed., Garfield County, Oklahoma, 1907-1982, Vol. I, Garfield Historical Society, Josten's Publishing Company, Topeka, Kansas. 1982., pgs 330-331
2. ^ Houstin James at findagrave
3. ^ ^{a b} Vickery, Paul S., "James Marquis (1891-1955)", Oklahoma Encyclopedia of History & Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society
4. ^ ^{a b c} Brown, Gary, James Marquis Chronological Biography, Enid History.org, 2004
5. ^ Contributions to the New Yorker

External links

Biography portal

• Marquis James at Find a Grave
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - James, Marquis

Persondata
Name	James, Marquis
Alternative names
Short description	Journalist, author, Pullitzer Prize winner
Date of birth	August 29, 1891
Place of birth	Springfield, Missouri
Date of death	November 19, 1955
Place of death