| Birth: | Dec. 8, 1894 | | Death: | Nov. 2, 1961 | 
Humorist. Born James Grover Thurber to Mary Agnes Fisher and Charles L. Thurber in Columbus Ohio. A childhood accident cost him the sight in one eye and would lead to vision problems throughout the rest of his life. He attended Ohio State University, though he did not take a degree. During the First World War he worked as a code clerk for the State Department. In 1921, he took a job as columnist and critic writing for the ‘Columbus Dispatch.' In 1926 he moved to Manhattan where he wrote for the ‘New York Evening Post' briefly before finding a place with the ‘New Yorker' in 1927. He produced his first book in 1929, ‘Is Sex Necessary?' in collaboration with E. B. White. By 1931 his first cartoons began appearing in the ‘New Yorker' most notably, dogs. His dog cartoons became ubiquitous, and they dotted the pages of a many books including ‘The Seal in the Bedroom' in 1932, ‘ My Life and Hard Times' in 1933, ‘My World and Welcome to It' in 1942 which included one of his best known works, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,' and ‘The Thurber Carnival' in 1945. He collaborated with Elliot Nugent in 1940 on the successful play, ‘The Male Animal,' completed shortly before it became necessary for him to undergo a series of eye operations. His remaining eyesight, however, grew steadily worse, forcing him to curtail his drawing; by 1952 he was legally blind, and he had made his last drawing. In 1960, he appeared on Broadway for 88 performances in the revue ‘A Thurber Carnival' which was based on a selection of his stories and cartoons. He won a special Tony Award for the adapted script. He succumbed to a stroke the following year at the age of 66. In 1970 a television series based on Thurber's writings entitled ‘My World and Welcome to It' ran during the 1969 season. The Thurber Prize, begun in 1997, is presented annually in recognition of outstanding examples of American humor.
(bio by: Iola)
Cause of death: Stroke
Search Amazon for James Thurber | | | Burial:
Green Lawn Cemetery
Columbus
Franklin County
Ohio, USA
GPS (lat/lon): 39.9386, -83.033 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 1033 |
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