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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 45 Collections and/or Records:

Biographical material about and by Helen Foster Snow, 1935-1987

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 8 Sub-Series 1
Scope and Contents

Contains papers and articles written by and about Helen Foster Snow, including autobiographical pieces by Snow; articles about her pseudonym by June Rice, and other papers by Kelly Ann Long and Lora Sabin. Also included are articles about Helen's 80th birthday celebration and exhibition, the Helen Foster Snow Institute at Utah State University, and correspondence.

Dates: 1935-1987

Edgar Snow papers, 1928-1994

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 8 Sub-Series 2
Scope and Contents

Contains information written by or about Edgar Parks Snow. Includes correspondence, poetry, manuscripts, articles about Red Star Over China and other literature, notes, articles on Edgar written or typed by Helen and others, symposium speeches about Edgar, financial papers, obituaries, and pamphlets.

Dates: 1928-1994

Helen Foster Snow artifacts, approximately 1850, approximately 1925-1991

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 7
Scope and Contents

Contains artifacts from Helen Foster Snow's family and career, including an ancestral coverlet, items from Chinese cooperatives, clothing worn or obtained while in China, certificates, paintings of Helen, and medals. Also contains a list of artifacts and accompanying descriptions provided by Helen Foster Snow. Dated approximately 1850, and approximately 1925 to 1991.

Dates: approximately 1850; approximately 1925-1991

Helen Foster Snow audiovisual materials, 1937-1999

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 6
Scope and Contents

Contains audio and videocassettes of Helen Foster Snow, with the depicted material dating from 1937 to 1999. Content includes interviews and conversations, news stories, documentaries, Helen's memorial service, music, and narrative from Sheril Bischoff as she sorts Helen's photograph collection.

Dates: 1937-1999

Helen Foster Snow books, 1938-2000

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 8
Scope and Contents

Contains items in Chinese written by Helen Foster Snow (as herself and under her pseudonym, Nym Wales) such as the Chinese editions of Song of Ariran, Inside Red China, and Return to China- and by Wu Jiliang. Also items in English, by various authors (one by Nym Wales: "China Builds For Democracy"), on Chinese history, tourism, government, and other subjects related to the country. Includes biographies of Americans with connections to China. Dated from 1938-2000.

Dates: 1938-2000

Helen Foster Snow chronologically-arranged correspondence, 1940-1997

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 4 Sub-Series 1
Scope and Contents

Includes at least one 'undated' (sometimes also an 'incomplete') folder for each decade, as well as general undated and incomplete folders. Folders contain various correspondence between Helen Foster Snow and others between 1940 and 1997.

Dates: 1940-1997

Helen Foster Snow collection addendum, 1925-2000

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 9
Scope and Contents

Contains materials added later to the Helen Foster Snow collection, including documents, books, and pamphlets. Materials span much of her life, and represent many of her experiences both in the United States and in China. Dated from 1925 to 2000.

Dates: 1925-2000

Helen Foster Snow correspondence, 1940s-1990s

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 4
Scope and Contents

Contains letters and other correspondence between Helen Foster Snow and others throughout her life, from the 1940's to the 1990's. Correspondence concerns both her career and her personal life. Materials span her time in the United States as well as her time abroad.

Dates: 1940s-1990s

Helen Foster Snow documents written in Chinese, 1927-1997

 Sub-Series — Box 35: Series 2 [Barcode: 31197227637748]
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 2 Sub-Series 4
Scope and Contents Contains essays by Helen Foster Snow, a Chinese translation of one of her novels, articles and reports on Helen Foster Snow, papers on Edgar Snow, letters to Helen, articles about Helen's friends and Indusco, copies of articles Helen collected, essays by Edgar, a film on Helen, and letters about Helen and her book. Materials range from 1927 to 1997.This sub-series contains manuscripts in Chinese that deal with a number of various subjects. Only the titles have been translated to...
Dates: 1927-1997

Helen Foster Snow essays, 1919-1993

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 3 Sub-Series 17
Scope and Contents

Essays written by Helen Foster Snow, ranging from 1919 to 1993. Includes untitled works and pages from unidentified works at the end.

Dates: Other: 1919-1993

Filtered By

  • Subject: China X

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 43
Collection 2
 
Subject
China -- Politics and government -- 1928-1937 39
Photojournalism -- China 39
Photojournalists -- China 39
China -- Politics and government -- 1912-1949 35
Politics, Government, and Law 26