William L. Alden

Biography

William Livingston Alden was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on October 9, 1837.

He graduated from Jefferson in 1858 and read law in New York City with William M. Evarts, joining the bar in 1860. He practiced law until 1866. He then became a journalist, writing for Scribner's Monthly, The Atlantic, New York World and Daily Graphic. He also wrote humor pieces and juvenile fiction. While in New York City he became an early member of the Theosophical Society, an esoteric organization founded by Helena Blavatsky in 1875.

Alden is also credited with bringing the sport of canoeing to the United States. He founded the New York Canoe Club in 1871, which was the first canoeing organization in America. He was a founding member of the American Canoe Association and served as its first Commodore.

Alden was appointed Consul General in Rome, Italy, by President Grover Cleveland in 1885, a position he held until 1889, and received from the king the cross of chevalier of the order of the Crown of Italy. In 1890 he lived in Paris, writing for the New York Herald until 1893, when he began living and writing in London. He died on January 14, 1908.

Works

He is the author of many works, including the following:

• Domestic Explosives (1878)
• Shooting Stars (1879)
• A New Robinson Crusoe (1880)
• Canoe and Flying Proa (1880)
• The Moral Pirates (1881)
• Christopher Columbus (1440-1506): the first American citizen (1881)
• Life of Christopher Columbus (1882)
• The Cruise of the Ghost (1882)
• The Cruise of the Canoe Club (1883)
• The Adventures of Jimmy Brown (1885)
• The Loss of the Swansea (1889)
• Trying to Find Europe (1889)
• A Lost Love (1892)
• Told by the Colonel (1893)
• Freaks (1895)
• Van Wagener's Way (1898)
• The Mystery of Elias G. Roebuck
• His Daughter

References

;Attribution

References

1. "Jefferson College 1802–1865". Washington & Jefferson College.
2. Jennings Coffin, Selden. (1879). "Record of the men of Lafayette: Brief biographical sketches of the alumni of Lafayette College from its organization to the present time". [[Lafayette College]].
3. (1889). "Biographical and Historical Catalogue of Washington and Jefferson College". Elm Street Printing Company.
4. (January 16, 1908). "THE LIFEWORK OF WILLIAM L. ALDEN: Highly Esteemed Both Sides the Atlantic for His Clever Writings. FAMOUS AS A HUMORIST: Consul General at Rome Under Cleveland – First Commodore of American Canoe Association.". The New York Times.
5. Gary Lachman. (2012). "Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality". Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.
6. (August 1880). "The Cruising Canoe and its Outfit". Harper & Brothers.
7. Hoffman, Ronald C.. (June 1967). ["The Formation and Growth of the American Canoe Association"](http://www.americancanoe.org/atf/cf/%7B74254DC2-74B4-446F-92BE-547992272AB7%7D/ACA_History_Chapter_2_1880_1889.pdf }}{{dead link). [[American Canoe Association]].
8. (November 2016). ["Commodores / Presidents"](http://www.americancanoe.org/site/c.lvIZIkNZJuE/b.4863513/k.5C30/Commodores__Presidents.htm}} {{dead link). American Canoe Association.
9. {{harvnb. Johnson. 1906
10. Riley, Sam G.. (1995). "Biographical dictionary of American newspaper columnists". Greenwood Publishing Group.