Alvin M. Josephy Jr.
Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (May 18, 1915 – October 16, 2005) was an American historian who specialized in Native American issues. New York Times reviewer Herbert Mitgang called him in 1982 the "leading non-Indian writer about Native Americans".[1]
Alvin M. Josephy Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alvin M. Josephy Jr. May 18, 1915 |
| Died | October 16, 2005 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | American |
Early life
Josephy was born in Woodmere, New York. His mother was a daughter of publisher Samuel Knopf and a sister of Alfred A. Knopf.[1]
Career
Early career
Early in his career, Josephy worked as a Hollywood screenwriter, New York City newspaper correspondent, radio station news director, the Washington Office of War Information, and in the Pacific theater as United States Marine Corps combat correspondent, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for "heroic achievement in action... [making] a recording of historical significance" during the U.S. invasion of Guam.[2] After the war, Josephy returned to Hollywood where he wrote for the movies, for a local newspaper, and for veterans groups.[3] There he married his second wife, Elizabeth Peet. Josephy's reporting on organized crime in Santa Monica was the basis for the film The Captive City, which he co-wrote.[4]
Time magazine
Around 1952, the Josephys moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, when Alvin joined Time magazine as photo editor. One assignment sparked his interest in the history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, especially the Nez Perce people, who lived primarily in Oregon and Idaho. He developed that interest largely in his free time.[1][5]
American Heritage magazine
In 1960, he joined the American Heritage Publishing Company as a senior editor of American Heritage books, and in 1976, became editor-in-chief of American Heritage magazine, a position he served in until 1978.[1][5][6]
Literary works
Josephy's works include The Patriot Chiefs (1961); Chief Joseph's People and Their War (1964); The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest (1965); The Indian Heritage of America (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968); Red Power: The American Indians' Fight for Freedom (1971); and Now That the Buffalo's Gone (1982);[1] also Black Hills, White Sky; The Civil War in the American West and History of the Congress of the United States.[3]
Government advisor
Josephy served as a senior advisor on Federal Indian Policy to Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall during the Kennedy Administration, and later as an advisor to President Richard Nixon on matters pertaining to Native Americans and government policies relating to Indian Tribes. He had strongly disagreed with Eisenhower Administration policies on such matters, as President Nixon came to later, in retrospect.[1] Prior to this time, more than 100 tribes had lost federal recognition, and their land holdings under Federal policies of "termination" and forced assimilation. Based significantly on Josephy's advice and encouragement, the Nixon Administration adopted a policy of "self-determination" for Native Americans, and furthered policies and practices to encourage their cultural survival.)[5]
Personal life
Alvin and Elizabeth "Betty" Peet Josephy were married for 56 years, until her death in 2004. He died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, a year later. He was survived by one child from his first marriage, three from his second, and their descendants.[1]
Legacy
In Joseph, Oregon, where Alvin and Betty owned a ranch and hosted a camp for Nez Perce children,[3] their legacy is well remembered. The Josephy Center for Arts and Culture was founded in his name. Included in the Center is the Alvin M. and Betty Josephy Library of Western History and Culture, which holds much of Josephy's personal collection, as well as related materials.[7] One of his books, The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest, was included on the list of 100 Oregon Books by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission.[8] His papers are held at the Knight Library at the University of Oregon.[3]
Publications
Books
| Book title | Date | Publisher | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Long and the Short and the Tall | 1946 | Knopf | U.S. Marines in the Pacific during WWII |
| The Patriot Chiefs | 1962 | Viking | Portraits of Native American leaders |
| Chief Joseph's People and Their War | 1964 | Yellowstone | A very brief version of Nez Perce history |
| The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest | 1965 | Yale | Comprehensive history of the Nez Perce tribe |
| The Indian Heritage of America | 1968 | Knopf (American Heritage Books) | Comprehensive overview of Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere |
| The Artist Was A Young Man | 1970 | Amon Carter Museum | Peter Rindisbacher, first artist of the Plains Indians, early 1820s |
| Black Hills, White Sky | 1978 | New York Times Books | Dakota tribes (narrative and historic photographs) |
| On the Hill | 1979 | Simon & Schuster | History of the United States Congress |
| Now That the Buffalo's Gone | 1982 | Knopf | Case studies in contemporary Native American issues (water, sovereignty, religion) |
| The Civil War in the American West | 1991 | Knopf | The American Civil War in the West |
| 500 Nations: An Illustrated History of North American Indians | 1994 | Knopf | (accompanied a CBS television series) |
| Red Power: The American Indians' Fight for Freedom, 2nd Rev. Ed. | 1999 | University of Nebraska Press | Documentary history of the American Indian activist movement |
| A Walk Toward Oregon | 2000 | Knopf | Autobiography |
| Nez Perce Country | 2007 | Bison | Condensed version of Nez Perce history |
Magazine articles
| Magazine title | Date | Issue | Article title | Page | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Times | March 19, 1973 | "What the Indians Want" | 18 | Indian-US government relations & recent protests | |
| Life | July 2, 1971 | Vol 71; No. 1 | "The Custer Myth" | 49 | The battle of Little Bighorn |
| Digest | October 23, 1937 | Vol 1; No. 15 | "Cardenas, Indian Idol" | 18 | Mexican President Cardena's relationship with native Indians |
| Ken | May 5, 1938 | Vol 1; No. 3 | "Bomb in a Pail of Water" | 24 | Interview with Leon Trotsky |
| American Heritage | April 1, 1958 | Vol 6; No. 3 | "Was America Discovered Before Columbus?" | 16 | Portuguese discovery of the New World by 1424 |
| American Heritage | February 1, 1956 | Vol 7; No. 2 | "First 'Dude Ranch' Trip to the Untamed West" | 8 | Sir William Stewart's hunting party of 1843 |
| American Heritage | February 1, 1958 | Vol 9; No. 2 | "The Last Stand of Chief Joseph" | 36 | Nez Perce's great 1,300 miles fighting retreat |
| American Heritage | October 1, 1960 | Vol 11; No 6 | "A Man to Match the Mountains" | 60 | David Thompson, explorer and land geographer of the New World |
| American Heritage | June 1, 1961 | Vol 12; No 4 | "Revolt in the Pueblos" | 65 | Pueblo uprising of 1680 |
| American Heritage | August 1, 1961 | Vol 12; No 5 | "These lands are ours ..." | 14 | Tecumseh's leadership greatness |
| American Heritage | October 1, 1965 | Vol 16; No 6 | "A Most Satisfactory Council" | 27 | Walla Walla Council of 1855 |
| American Heritage | December 1, 1966 | Vol 18; No 1 | "Ordeal in Hell's Canyon" | 72 | John Jacob Astor's fur traders' discover the chasm of Idaho's Snake River |
| American Heritage | December 1, 1968 | Vol 20; No 1 | "Cornplanter, Can You Swim?" | 4 | Kinzua Dam floods the Senecas' ancestral lands |
| American Heritage | February 1, 1970 | Vol 21; No 2 | "The Boy Artist of Red River" | 30 | Peter Rindisbacher, 19th-century artist, captured lives of Indians and white pioneers |
| American Heritage | June 1, 1970 | Vol 21; No 4 | "Here in Nevada a Terrible Crime ..." | 93 | Nevada's Pyramid Lake, victim of the plundering of natural resources |
| American Heritage | February 1, 1973 | Vol 24; No 2 | "The Hopi Way" | 49 | Traditionalists' prescription for a happier, more meaningful life & the threat of strip mining on their communities |
| American Heritage | February 1, 1974 | Vol 25; No 2 | "The Splendid Indians of Edward S. Curtis" | 40 | Curtis's corpus, The North American Indian |
| American Heritage | June 1, 1981 | Vol 32; No 4 | Iwo Jima | 92 | "Marine combat correspondent recalls the deadliest battle of the Pacific war" |
| American West | November 1, 1986 | Vol 23; No 6 | "Looking for Finegayan" | 44 | A marine returns to Guam |
| American West | January 1, 1986 | Vol 23; No 1 | "Andy Warhol Meets Sitting Bull" | 42 | Warhol's silk-screen prints, "Cowboys and Indians" |
| American West | July 1, 1985 | Vol 22; No 4 | "Those Pants that Levi Gave Us" | 30 | History of Levi Strauss and his world-famous pants |
| American West | March 1, 1984 | Vol 21; No 2 | "View from the West" | 6 | Impact of media attitude to natural resource policies |
| American West | May 1, 1983 | Vol 20; No 3 | "The Blood of Abel" | 31 | 1863 murder of Lloyd Magruder and swift justice in frontier Idaho |
| American West | November 1, 1982 | Vol 19; No 6 | "Whose Old West Is Disappearing?" | 32 | Celebration of cowboys, cow ponies, and cow country |
| American West | September 1, 1982 | Vol 19; No 5 | "One Way to Spell Man" | 64 | Review of Wallace Stegner's One Way to Spell Man: Essays with a Western Bias |
| Audubon | March 1, 1976 | Vol 78; No 2 | "Kaiparowits: the ultimate obscenity" | 64 | Impact of powerplants in the four-state corner of the West |
| Audubon | March 1, 1975 | Vol 77; No 2 | "Dr. Strangelove builds a canal" | 76 | Impact of Bureau of Reclamation's irrigation plans on North Dakota farmers |
| Audubon | July 1, 1973 | Vol 75; No 4 | "Agony of the Northern Plains" | 68 | Impact on northern plains of the 1971 "North Central Power Study" |
| Audubon | July 1, 1971 | Vol 73; No 4 | "The Murder of the Southwest" | 52 | Impact on Indian lands of Dept. of the Interior approved strip-mining for coal |
| Westerners | January 1, 1971 | Vol 18; No 4 | "The Hudson's Bay Company and the American Indians - III" | 78 | History of the company's relationship with & treatment of American Indians |
| Westerners | January 1, 1971 | Vol 18; No 3 | "The Hudson's Bay Company and the American Indians - II" | 59 | History of the company's relationship with & treatment of American Indians |
| Westerners | January 1, 1971 | Vol 18; No 2 | "The Hudson's Bay Company and the American Indians" | 28 | History of the company's relationship with & treatment of American Indians |
| Westerners | January 1, 1968 | Vol 15; No 2 | "Two Gamy Letters from Fort Yuma" | 28 | Sylvester Mowry, Arizona pioneer |
| Westerners | January 1, 1968 | Vol 15; No 1 | "Reply to Dr. Haines" | 15 | Nez Perce and the Appaloosa |
| Westerners | January 1, 1967 | Vol 14; No 4 | "Nez Perces and The Appaloosa Horse ... False History:" | 73 | Nez Perce and the Appaloosa |
| Westerners | January 1, 1967 | Vol 14; No 1 | "Early Man in the Americas" | 8 | Origin of early mankind in the Americas |
| Westerners | January 1, 1965 | Vol 12; No 3 | "New Light on the Early Northwest" | 49 | La Gasse and Le Blanc, first white men known to have entered the Upper Basin of the Columbia River |
| Westerners | January 1, 1964 | Vol 11; No 3 | "Tom Fitzpatrick, 1848" | 57 | 1848 letter by Tom Fitzpatrick, mountain man, emigrant guide, and Indian agent, edited by A. Josephy |
| Westerners | January 1, 1963 | Vol 10; No 4 | "Another Letter from Broken Hand" | 75 | 1847 letter by Tom Fitzpatrick to Thomas H. Harvery, Supt. of Indian Affairs, edited by A. Josephy |
| Westerners | January 1, 1963 | Vol 10; No 2 | "A Letter from Broken Hand" | 25 | 1847 letter by Tom Fitzpatrick, early Indian agent appointed to the western plains, edited by A. Josephy |
| Westerners | January 1, 1962 | Vol 9; No 3 | "The Funeral of Peter Dan Moses" | 64 | The funeral of Peter Dan Moses marked the passing of another colorful, prominent NW Indian leader |
| Westerners | January 1, 1958 | Vol 4; No 4 | "The Lolo Trail" | 82 | Trader-explorer David Thompson and the history of Lolo Trail |
| Atlantic | June 1, 1970 | Vol 225; No 6 | "Indians in History" | 67 | White historians' failure to know Indian history and nature |
| Blue Book | June 1, 1951 | Vol 93; No 2 | "Condors Don't Pay Taxes" | 52 | California condor |
| Great Plains Journal | September 1, 1969 | "Everybody's Talking" | 1 | Historians, challenges and role | |
| Montana | October 1, 1955 | Vol 5; No 4 | "The Naming of the Nez Perce" | 1 | History of the naming of the Nez Perce |
| Natural History | February 1, 1977 | Vol 86; No 2 | "A Sojourn Among the Indians" | 94 | Review of People of the First Man, edited by Davis Thomas and Karin Ronnefeldt |
| Journal of the West | June 1, 2000 | Vol 39; No 3 | "A Responsibility of Western Historians" | 6 | Avoiding stereotypes to provide a true knowledge of transition from Old West to New West |
| Journal | March 1, 1985 | Vol 4; No 1 | "The Blood of Abel" | 4 | 1863 murder of Lloyd Magruder and swift justice in frontier Idaho |
| Idaho Yesterdays | March 1, 1962 | Vol 6; No 1 | "Origins of the Nez Perce People" | 2 | Aboriginal wanders from Asia settled among Clearwater, Salmon, and Wallowa Country |
| On the Sound | January 1, 1972 | Vol 2; No 1 | "120 Centuries of a Noble Heritage, Part 1" | 80 | History of American Indians along Long Island Sound |
| On the Sound | February 1, 1972 | Vol 2; No 2 | "Indians of the Sound, Part 2" | 72 | History of American Indians of Long Island Sound from the 17th century on |
| Oregon Humanities | December 1, 1992 | "In Search of the Old West" | 2 | A. Josephy reflects on the transitioning Old West beginning with his 1934 cross-country bus ride | |
| Proceedings | September 1, 1978 | "Keynote Address" | 2 | A. Josephy's speech to conference of environmentalists and sheep producers | |
| Smithsonian | July 1, 1976 | Vol 7; No 4 | "Book Recommendations" | 127 | A. Josephy recommends The Closing Circle by Barry Commoner |
| American West | September 1, 1972 | Vol 9; No 5 | "By Fayre and Gentle Means" | 4 | The Hudson's Bay Company and the American Indian |
| Critic | September 1, 1973 | Vol 32; No 1 | "Freedom for the American Indian" | 18 | Summary of Indian-White relations since earliest contact |
| Col. Heinl 1982 Mem. Award | January 1, 1982 | "Iwo Jima" | 37 | Marine combat correspondent recalls deadliest battle of the Pacific war | |
| History News | June 1, 1982 | Vol 37; No 6 | "Awesome Space" | 26 | Speculations on interpretations of the Old West |
| Western Historical Quarterly | March 1, 1995 | Vol 26; No 1 | "I Have Seen the Elephant" | 4 | Presidential address at Western History Association's 34th annual conference |
References
- "American Indian Historian Alvin Josephy Jr. Dies", Adam Bernstein, The Washington Post, October 18, 2005.
- Citation for Sergeant Alvin M. Josephy, Junior, United States Marine Corps Reserve, by Lt. General H.M. Smith, Headquarters Fleet Marine Force, Pacific
- "Alvin Josephy (1915-2005)", Rich Wandschneider, The Oregon Encyclopedia.
- "The Captive City". The American Cinemateque. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- "Alvin Josephy: A gentle, graceful advocate for sovereignty", Rebecca A. Miles, High Country News, December 12, 2005.
- Josephy, Alvin. "Bio and article list". American Heritage. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- The Alvin M. and Betty Josephy Library of Western History and Culture
- Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission website