Will Levington Comfort

Will Levington Comfort

Will Levington Comfort.
Born (1878-02-17)February 17, 1878
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Died November 2, 1932(1932-11-02) (aged 54)
Los Angeles, California
Nationality US
Occupation writer
Spouse(s) Ada Duffie
Children Jane Levington, John Duffie, Tom Tyrone

Will Levington Comfort (February 17, 1878 – November 2, 1932) was a U.S. writer, known primarily for adventure novels such as Apache. Three of Comfort's works served as the story for feature films. Somewhere in Sonora, based on his novel Somewhere south of Sonora, was remade in 1933 starring John Wayne.

The Will Levington Comfort Letters (2 volumes, 1920–21) deal with theosophical subjects, and influenced among others Alice Bailey. Comfort introduced composer/astrologer Dane Rudhyar to Marc Edmund Jones who introduced Rudhyar to the study of astrology. Rudhyar married Comfort's secretary, Maria Contento. Comfort was also an influence on painters Mabel Alvarez[1] and Agnes Pelton.

Biography

Comfort was educated in Detroit, Michigan public schools, and then at Albion College, Albion, Michigan. He gained experience as a newspaper reporter in Detroit, Michigan, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. In the Spanish–American War he served in the 5th U.S. Cavalry. Later, in 1899, he became a war correspondent. In connection with his correspondent's duties, he traveled in the Philippines and China. In 1904 he also traveled in Russia and Japan as correspondent.[2] Later in life he came to live in Highland Park, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. At this period of his life, when he was concerned with spiritual matters, he published two periodicals, The Glass Hive and the Reconstruction Letters.[3]

Family

Comfort was born on February 17, 1878 near Kalamazoo, MI, to the druggist Silas Hopkins Comfort (c. 1846-1898) and Jane Levington (1850-1926), who had immigrated from Ireland. His father's maternal grandfather was Capt. Benjamin Hopkins, who founded the town of Spring Lake, Michigan.

On Sept. 30, 1900 in Detroit, Comfort married Ada Duffie Mullholland (1872-1938), widow of Clarence M. Mullholland. They had three children. Their daughter, Jane Levington Comfort (1903-1996), also became a novelist, writing works on her own and in tandem with her husband, Howard Allison Sturtzel (1894-1985), who utilized the pen name "Paul Annixter". Their two sons were writer John Duffie Comfort (b. c. 1908) and artist Tom Tyrone Comfort (1909-1939).

Works

References

  1. ↑ Trenton, Patricia; Sandra D'Emilio (1995). Independent spirits: women painters of the American West, 1890–1945. University of California Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-520-20203-0.
  2. ↑ Townsend, John Wilson; Dorothy Edwards Townsend (1913). Kentucky in American letters, 1784–1912. The Torch Press.
  3. ↑ "Finding Aid for the Will Levington Comfort Papers, 1910-1932". Online Archive of California. University of California. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
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