James Harden-Hickey

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James Harden-Hickey (December 8, 1854 – February 9, 1898) was an American writer during the 19th century.

1 Early life
2 Literary career
3 Later years
4 External links

[edit] Early life

James Aloysius Harden was born in San Francisco, California on December 8, 1854. To avoid the violent city still in the madness of the gold rush, James' French mother took him to live in Paris, then an Empire after two revolutions and under the rule of Napoleon III. The nephew of Napoleon I left his mark on James by making France a wild, flamboyant stage with ornate theatrical displays and mystifying ceremonies and public works. As a child, James was fascinated with the French court and all of its glamour and pomp. Also, because of the lively brilliance of the life theatre, he acquired a life-long liking to adventure. During boyhood he was taught in Belgium by the Jesuits and later studied law at the University of Leipzig. He entered the French military academy, Saint-Cyr, at 19. In 1875, he graduated with high regard; shortly after his father died. Three years later, Harden-Hickley married a Standard Oil heiress, Countess de Saint-Pery and had two children. By then he had mastered French, was accounted a master swordman and began writing novels. As of 1880, he had 11 novels published. Two of the novels are borrowed from Michael Strogoff written by Jules Verne and another by Don Quixote. The novels he wrote blatantly show virtue to monarchies and are anti-democratic. James nobly gainted Baron of the Holy Roman Empire with his stringent defense for the church in his works and in practice.

[edit] Literary career

On November 10, 1878, Harden-Hickey first published Triboulet, named for a jester of King Louis XII, eight years after Napoleon's fall from power. Strongly against the republic, this work was very popular. Numerous newspaper publications were seen during this time, and because of James' strong leadership as editor and supporter, he was dueled no fewer than a dozen times and was sued several dozen times. Sadly for Harden-Hickey and fellow royalists, their funds were exhausted by 1887.

Sometime after James Harden-Hickey divorced his wife and renounced Catholicism; he began an interest in Buddhism and Theosophy. This was a turning point in his life, and he took the opportunity to travel around the world, staying a year in India, learning Sanskrit and being taught by Buddha. He returned to Paris and married Anne Flagler. He lived with the Flaglers in New York for two years. Traveling to Tibet before his marriage, his crew made a stop in the South Atlantic. He proclaimed himself King of Trinidad, or, more correctly, James I, Prince of Trinidad, since very few even marked it as an island. He wanted an independent state with himself as military dictator, and later in 1893, he got just that. James was noticed by nations everywhere when he started selling bonds and founded an office and gave out secretary positions. Trinidad was taken, however, by Great Britain in 1895, and so the Baron of the Holy Roman Empire James Aloysius Harden-Hickey surrendered it to them, with only a homemade crown, a schooner, and the title of "King without a country." He was short handed, though; when the Brazilians and British were fighting for claiming rights, he was forgotten. And the United States wouldn't hear his message of neutrality for his state.

[edit] Later years

Over the next two years, Harden-Hickey fell into depression. His visions for his island were all but realizable, and it was all he had. And despite the validity of his claim on Trinidad and his seriousness at realizing his dream, he received little support, only that from his family and friends; and after it fell through, the world laughed at him for even trying. Harden-Hickley had bonds, proclaimations, postage stamps, Order of Trinidad crosses, and even a flag for his island. He mounted plans for an invasion of England, but funding wouldn't be supported. Seemingly, his only public support came from the New York Times, who gave him some praise and compassion. One day, the managing editor and reporter for Times received the Order of Trinidad for their understanding of his passion.

James Harden-Hickey wrote a book called Euthanasia: The Aesthetics of Suicide, showing that suicide was a powerful artform and "a privilege." He wrote that life wasn't so important or even worth living if one was to suffer, and left vaguely that "it is of greater moment to live well than to live long, and that often it is living well not to live long," which is more of an opinion based on feeling rather than religious or spiritual meaning. Nonetheless, he lived up to his ideology by living and dying as a strong proponent of suicide. He overdosed on morphine on Feb. 9 1898 in an El Paso, Texas hotel, when he couldn't sell his Mexican ranch that he acquired while living with the Flaglers. He had a suicide note for his wife and his memorabilia from his glory days with him, including his hand-made crown.