William Montgomery McGovern
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| William Montgomery McGovern | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1897 New York, New York |
| Died | December 12, 1964 (aged 67) Evanston, Illinois |
| Occupation | Professor Archaeologist Adventurer |
| Genres | Non-fiction |
| Notable work(s) | To Lhasa in Disguise, Jungle Paths and Inca Ruins |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Montgomery |
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William Montgomery McGovern (September 28, 1897-December 12, 1964) was an American adventurer, Northwestern University professor, anthropologist and journalist. He is credited with being the first Westerner to enter the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and was a chief inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones.
McGovern's life may be more incredible than the fictional character he spawned. By age 30, he had already explored the Amazon and braved uncharted regions of the Himalayas, survived revolution in Mexico, studied at Oxford and the Sorbonne and become a Buddhist priest in a Japanese monastery. He became a beloved lecturer, war correspondent and military strategist.
[edit] Biography
McGovern was born in Manhattan, New York, on September 28, 1897, the son of an army officer. Time Magazine reported that he began to travel at the age of six weeks, once visiting Mexico with his mother "just to see a revolution."[1]
His formative years were spent in Asia. McGovern graduated with the doctoral degree of soro from the Buddhist monastery of Nishi Hongwanji in Kyoto, Japan at age 20 before going on to study at the Sorbonne and University of Berlin. He received his D.Phil. from Christ Church College, Oxford in 1922 -- working his way through school by teaching Chinese at the University of London.[2]
Shortly after graduation he began his first great expedition, to the remote mountain kingdom of Tibet. In his book To Lhasa in Disguise, McGovern claims he had to sneak into the country disguised as a local porter. As Time reported in 1938:
With a few Tibetan servants, he climbed through the wild, snowy passes of the Himalayas. There, in the bitter cold, he stood naked while a companion covered his body with brown stain, squirted lemon juice into his blue eyes to darken them. Thus disguised as a coolie, he arrived in the Forbidden City without being detected, but disclosed himself to the civilian officials. A fanatical mob led by Buddhist monks stoned his house. Bill McGovern slipped out through a back door and joined the mob in throwing stones. The civil government took him into protective custody, finally sent him back to India with an escort.
Another expedition to Peru and the Amazon would follow a few years later, resulting in another book.
At age 30, McGovern became assistant curator of the anthropology department at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. Two years later, was appointed a professor of Political Science at Northwestern, a position he would hold for the rest of his life.
He married his second cousin, Margaret Montgomery, and fathered three children -- two daughters and a son.
In 1937, McGovern was named Far East correspondent by the Chicago Times, arriving in Tokyo with his wife as war began with China. The couple set off for Manchuko to cover the invasion, only to see Margaret thrown into jail for taking photos in the streets. They went on to spend long stints on the front.
Upon returning he briefly lectured on government at Harvard University. When the United States joined what had become World War II, McGovern served in the United States Naval Reserve from 1941 to 1945. He later went on to lecture on military intelligence and strategy at the Naval, Air and Army War Colleges.
Reputed to speak 12 languages and deaf in one ear, McGovern became an academic celebrity known for outlandish foreign dress and holding court in the campus' University Club. He died of a heart attack in Evanston at age 67.
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