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Snow, Edgar, 1905-1972

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1905 - 1972

Biography

Edgar Snow (1905-1972) was a journalist and foreign correspondent in China.

Edgar Snow was born on July 10, 1905 in Kansas City, Missouri. Snow moved to China as a correspondent for the Consolidated Press Association. Edgar met Helen Foster Snow when she came to China. The two were married on December 25, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan. They moved to Peking, where Edgar taught at Yanjing University. At the University, Edgar and Helen sympathized with the students protesting the government’s allowance of Japanese invasion. The two helped organize movements like the December 9th movement of 1935, and provided press coverage of events censored by Chinese papers.

In June of 1936 Edgar left Peking for Xian, and into the communist camp as the first foreign journalist in that territory. He composed the first biographical account of Mao during this time. Mao asked Ed to set peace terms between the Nationalists and the Chinese Government. An interview with Mao published in Life magazine in 1936 gained a great amount of attention. Edgar Snow became the editor to his new magazine Democracy. Red Star Over China, Edgar’s book on his time with the communists was published in 1938. Edgar Snow died on February 15, 1972 in Eysins Switzerland.

Citation:
Helen Foster Snow: An American Woman in Revolutionary China, 2006: p. 32 (b. July 19, 1905; Kansas City, Missouri; Shanghai correspondent for Consolidated Press Association); p. 39 (m. Helen Foster Snow 1933); p. 42 (m. Dec. 25, Tokyo); p. 41 (honeymoon in Formosa, the Philippines, Borneo, the Dutch Indies, and Bali); p. 45 (move to Peking); p. 49 (move to Manchuria to investigate, 1933); p. 50 (job teaching at Yanjing University); p. 55 (helped plan December 1935 movements); p. 58 (moved to more neutral area; p. 62 (press coverage of events censored by Chinese papers); p. 64 (December 16th movement); p. 67 (June 1936 Xian then Baoan to communist camp); p. 70 (worked with artists); p. 71 (short stories published to West); p. 73 (published Living china); p. 79 (October 1936, interview with Mao Zedong; published in Life, journal Democracy, editor); p. 87 (controversial exposure of communist ideas); p. 109 (Red Star Over China, 1938); p. 110 (long march reports; first foreign journalist in communist territory); p. 111 (left Peking June 1936, Xian; 92 day tour, Zhou Enlai); p. 113 (first biographical account of Mao; set terms for peace between CCP and GMD); p. 114 (return to Peking Oct. 1936, write book); p. 117 (Shanghai)

FamilySearch, July 12, 2018 (d. February 15, 1972; Eysins, Switzerland)

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Helen Foster Snow autobiography excerpts

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230344308]
Identifier: MSS SC 2888
Scope and Contents

There is also a brief description of Helen Foster Snow's life and a few dates extracted from her book, "My China Years." Also includes four newspaper clippings dated between 1978 and 1997, relating to the production of a 1978 movie by Helen Foster Snow and Tim Cosidine; and on Helen Foster Snow's life and involvement with China. The film had not been released as of 1997.



Dates: 1958-1997

Helen Foster Snow papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 2219
Scope and Contents Contains materials pertaining to the life and career of Helen Foster Snow. Includes interviews, correspondence, articles, essays, reviews, drafts, photographs, negatives, artifacts, audiovisual recordings, and other materials concerning the political climate in China during the Japanese invasion, the lives of Communist leaders and followers, and the Chinese Cooperative movements. Although materials were mainly created during the course of Helen Foster Snow's time as a foreign correspondent...
Dates: 1726-2000; Majority of material found within 1930-1980

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  • Type: Collection X

Additional filters:

Subject
Articles 1
Authors, American -- Biography 1
Autobiographies 1
Beijing (China) 1
China -- History -- 20th century 1