William Farquhar Payson (18 February 1876 – April 15, 1939)[1] was an American author and editor.

Early life

He was born in New York City on February 18, 1876. He was a son of Francis and Mary F. (née Dabney) Payson. Among his siblings was Mary Dabney Payson (the wife of banker Stephen Baker, the president of the Bank of the Manhattan Company and a son of U.S. Representative Stephen Baker).[1]

He was a grandson of John Larkin and Frances (née Lithgow) Payson, and of Charles Henry and Ellen M. (née Jones) Dabney, and a descendant of Edward Payson (1614–1675).[2] He received his preparatory education in England and in New York city; was a student at Columbia University from 1892 to 1893.[1]

Career

In 1893 engaged in journalism. From 1893 to 1895, he was on the editorial staff of the New York Times,[3] and managing editor of Vogue from 1895 to 1897, after which he made his home in Bristol, Rhode Island, and gave his attention to literary work.[4]

From 1909 to 1913, he was a vice president and literary advisor for the Sturgis & Walton Company, Publishers. In 1924, he helped found Payson & Clarke, Ltd., Publishers, and served as the firm's president for the next four years.[1]

Personal life

On October 27, 1897, he was married to Mary Farquhar Jones King (1868–1955), a daughter of Charles Goodrich King of Providence, Rhode Island. In 1927 he married Clara Moores, a former actress.[1]

After an illness of three years, Payson died on April 15, 1939, at 19 East 98th Street, his residence in Manhattan. He was buried at the Acacia Memorial Park in Lake Forest Park, Washington.[1]

Published works

  • The Copymaker, 1897
  • The Title-Mongers, 1898
  • John Vytal; a Tale of the Lost Colony, 1901
  • The Triumph of Life, 1903
  • Debonnaire, 1904
  • Barry Gordon, 1908
  • Periwinkle; an Idyl of the Dunes, 1910
  • Love Letters of a Divorced Couple, 1915
  • Give Me Tomorrow, 1935[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "W.F. PAYSON DEAD; AUTHOR, PUBLISHER; Ex-Managing Editor of Vogue and Founder of Firm of Own Name Succumbs at 63 WAS REPORTER IN YOUTH Once Had Served as Editor of The Field--His 'Debonnaire' Was Seen on Stage". The New York Times. 16 April 1939. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. ↑ Edward Payson came to America with other Puritans from Nazing, Essex, England, and settled at Roxbury, Massachusetts, where he was admitted as a "freeman" in 1640.
  3. ↑ "THE JINX THEATRE MURDER. By Alexander Williams. 314 pp. New York: William Farquhar Payson. $2". The New York Times. 16 April 1933. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ↑ Johnson & Brown. The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, The Biographical Society, 1904; VIII-16.
  5. ↑ Young, Stanley (24 November 1935). "A Dark Heritage; GIVE ME TOMORROW. By William Farquhar Payson. 394 pp. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. $2.50". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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