Louis Auchincloss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis Auchincloss
Auchincloss receiving the National Medal of Arts from President Bush (2005)
Born	Louis Stanton Auchincloss (1917-09-27)27 September 1917 Lawrence, New York, United States
Died	26 January 2010(2010-01-26) (aged 92) Manhattan, New York, United States
Occupation	Writer, lawyer
Language	English
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Yale University University of Virginia
Notable awards	National Medal of Arts (2005)
Spouse	Adele Lawrence
Children	3
Relatives	Nina Auchincloss Straight (cousin)

Louis Stanton Auchincloss (born September 27, 1917 – died January 26, 2010) was an American writer and lawyer. He was famous for his novels that explored the lives of wealthy and important families in American society. His stories often had a clever, slightly funny tone, much like the works of famous authors Henry James and Edith Wharton. He sometimes wrote under the name Andrew Lee when he first started.

Early Life and Education

Louis Auchincloss was born in Lawrence, New York. He grew up in a world of privileged people, which later became the main topic of his books. He once said that his family didn't have a huge fortune. Instead, each generation of Auchincloss men had to earn their own money or marry someone who had it.

He went to St. Bernard's School and Groton School. Later, he attended Yale University, where he worked as an editor for the Yale Literary Magazine. Even though he didn't finish his degree at Yale, he went on to study law at the University of Virginia. He finished law school in 1941 and became a lawyer in New York that same year.

Career as a Lawyer and Writer

Auchincloss worked as a lawyer for many years. From 1941 to 1951, he was an associate at a law firm called Sullivan & Cromwell. During this time, he also served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. His time in the Navy might have inspired his 1947 novel, The Indifferent Children.

After a short break to focus on writing full-time, Auchincloss returned to his law career. He worked at another firm, Hawkins, Delafield and Wood, from 1954 until 1986. He specialized in wills and trusts, which means he helped people plan what would happen to their money and property after they passed away. Even while working as a lawyer, he managed to write about one book every year!

His Books and Stories

Louis Auchincloss is well-known for his detailed descriptions of old New York and New England society. He wrote many books about families over several generations, like The House of Five Talents (1960), Portrait in Brownstone (1962), and East Side Story (2004). One of his most famous books, The Rector of Justin (1964), tells the story of a well-known headmaster at a private school, similar to the Groton School he attended. The book explores how the headmaster deals with changes over time.

In the early 1980s, Auchincloss wrote some novels that were not about New York. These included The Cat and the King, which was set in France during the time of King Louis XIV. He also wrote Watchfires, about the American Civil War, and Exit Lady Masham, set in England during Queen Anne's reign. After these, he mostly returned to writing about New York in his later fiction.

A famous writer named Gore Vidal once said that Auchincloss was special because he showed readers how powerful people behaved in their banks, offices, and clubs. Vidal believed that Auchincloss helped us understand the role of money in people's lives.

Personal Life

In 1957, Louis Auchincloss married Adele Burden Lawrence (1931–1991). Adele was an artist and cared deeply about the environment. She later worked for the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. Together, they had three children:

• Andrew Sloan Auchincloss, who became a lawyer.
• John Winthrop Auchincloss II, also a lawyer.
• Blake Leigh Auchincloss, who became an architect.

Auchincloss was very involved in his community. He was the president and chairman of the Museum of the City of New York. He also led the committee to restore City Hall. He was a member of important groups like the Century Association and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, where he even served as president.

Louis Auchincloss passed away on January 26, 2010, in New York City, after having a stroke.

His Views on Politics

When he was young, Auchincloss had strong conservative views. While at Yale, he once waved a sunflower (a symbol for a Republican candidate) at President Franklin D. Roosevelt's car. He also wrote articles in the Virginia Law Review that showed his traditional and somewhat old-fashioned ideas.

As an adult, Auchincloss was a registered Republican. However, he voted for the Democrat Bill Clinton for president. He explained that he felt society was becoming too divided between the rich and the poor.

Auchincloss received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush in 2005. He said that he accepted the award not from President Bush personally, but from the President of the United States, as it was a great honor.

Awards and Recognition

Louis Auchincloss's writings and papers are kept in special collections at the University of Virginia and Yale University. He received many awards and honors throughout his life:

• He was a finalist for the National Book Award multiple times (1960, 1961, 1965, 1967).
• He became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1965.
• He received honorary degrees from New York University (1974), Pace University (1979), and The University of the South (1986).
• He was made a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997.
• In 2000, he was given "Living Landmark" status by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
• He received the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 2005.

His Works

Louis Auchincloss wrote more than 60 books during his career.

Novels

• The Indifferent Children (1947)
• Sybil (1952)
• A Law for the Lion (1953)
• The Great World and Timothy Colt (1956)
• Venus in Sparta (1958)
• Pursuit of the Prodigal (1959)
• The House of Five Talents (1960)
• Portrait in Brownstone (1962)
• The Rector of Justin (1964)
• The Embezzler (1966)
• A World of Profit (1968)
• I Come as a Thief (1972)
• The Dark Lady (1977)
• The Country Cousin (1978)
• The House of the Prophet (1980)
• The Cat and the King (1981)
• Watchfires (1982)
• Exit Lady Masham (1983)
• The Book Class (1984)
• Honourable Men (1986)
• Diary of a Yuppie (1987)
• The Golden Calves (1988)
• Fellow Passengers: A Novel in Portraits (1989)
• The Lady of Situations (1990)
• Three Lives (1993)
• The Education of Oscar Fairfax (1995)
• Her Infinite Variety (2000)
• The Scarlet Letters (2003)
• East Side Story (2004)
• The Headmaster's Dilemma (2007)
• Last of the Old Guard (2008)

Short Story Collections

• The Injustice Collectors (1950)
• The Romantic Egoists (1954)
• Powers of Attorney (1963)
• Tales of Manhattan (1967)
• Second Chance: Tales of Two Generations (1970)
• The Partners (1974)
• The Winthrop Covenant (1976)
• Narcissa and Other Fables (1982)
• Skinny Island: More Tales of Manhattan (1987)
• False Gods (1992)
• Tales of Yesteryear (1994)
• The Collected Stories of Louis Auchincloss (1994)
• The Atonement and Other Stories (1997)
• The Anniversary and Other Stories (1999)
• Manhattan Monologues (2002)
• The Young Apollo and Other Stories (2006)
• The Friend of Women and Other Stories (2007)

Nonfiction Books

• Reflections of a Jacobite (1961)
• Pioneers and Caretakers: A Study of Nine American Women Novelists (1965)
• On Sister Carrie (1968)
• Motiveless Malignity (1969)
• Edith Wharton: A Woman in Her Time (1972)
• Richelieu (1972)
• A Writer's Capital (1974)
• Reading Henry James (1975)
• Life, Law, and Letters: Essays and Sketches (1979)
• Persons of Consequence: Queen Victoria and Her Circle (1979)
• False Dawn: Women in the Age of the Sun King (1985)
• The Vanderbilt Era: Profiles of a Gilded Age (1989)
• Love without Wings: Some Friendships in Literature and Politics (1991)
• The Style's the Man: Reflections on Proust, Fitzgerald, Wharton, Vidal, and Others (1994)
• The Man Behind the Book: Literary Profiles (1996)
• Woodrow Wilson (Penguin Lives) (2000)
• Theodore Roosevelt (The American Presidents Series) (2002)
• A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth (2010)

Adaptations of His Work

One of Auchincloss's novels, The Great World and Timothy Colt (1956), was made into a television episode for the series Climax! in 1958. Also, a composer named Paul Reif began turning Portrait in Brownstone into an opera, but he passed away before finishing it. The opera has not yet been performed.

Images for kids

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  Auchincloss receiving the National Medal of Arts from President Bush (2005)

See also

In Spanish: Louis Auchincloss para niños