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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 6 Collections and/or Records:

Helen Foster Snow files on My China Papers, approximately 1984

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 3 Sub-Series 8
Scope and Contents note

Contains draft cuts, alternate titles, extract copies, original and copied drafts in sections, synopsis, edited drafts, companion book drafts, cut and miscellaneous chapters, preparatory stories and essays, autobiographical notes, annotated drafts, correspondence and reviews, loose chapters, and drafts of an alternate version ("East of the Sun West of the Moon").

Dates: Other: approximately 1984

Helen Foster Snow files on The Root and the Branch, undated

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 3 Sub-Series 14
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Contains manuscripts and associated materials produced by Helen Foster Snow, both inside the United States and in China. Includes non-fiction and fiction writings on China and other topics. Materials date from between 1919 and 1995.

Dates: undated

Helen Foster Snow papers on family history, genealogy, and early life, 1924-1999

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

Contains manuscripts and drafts of historical prose, poetry, music, photographs, postcards, correspondence, newspaper clippings, maps, notes, conference papers, and pamphlets compiled by Helen Foster Snow, many related to genealogical research in New England. The section of correspondence is in roughly chronological order. Materials date from 1924 to 1999.

Dates: 1924-1999

Helen Foster Snow pedigree charts, family group sheets, and New England surnames files, 1833-1977

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 1 Sub-Series 2
Scope and Contents

Contains materials relating to Helen Foster Snow's family and ancestors, including miscellaneous genealogical work sheets and research notes on New England family histories (alphabetical), correspondence, pamphlets, family letters and manuscripts, photos, maps, essays and school memorabilia, clippings, personal cartoons, class notes and outlines, and letters of endorsement. Materials date from 1833 to 1977.

Dates: 1833-1977

Helen Foster Snow unpublished manuscripts, 1982-1991

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 3 Sub-Series 15
Scope and Contents note

Contains folios, various drafts and copies, and other materials for Book Ends: A Reader's Notes; Ethics and Energism, the Bridge to the Future; Lines of Communication; Long Thoughts; Longer Thoughts; More Long Thoughts; People I Have Known; Primitives and Pastorals; Why is a Classic?, and other works; also sections of unidentified works, and information about the author. Materials date from 1982 to 1991.

Dates: Other: 1982-1991

Helen Foster Snow works of fiction, undated

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 2219 Series 3 Sub-Series 13
Scope and Contents note

Photocopies, carbon copies, bound copies, original, manuscript copies, title pages, dedications, contents, chapter headings, outlines, synopses, notes, etc., for Memoirs: First Persona; Country and Western Primitives; Hearts and Flowers; Peking Duck; Unlacquered Tales from China; and The Root and the Branch.

Dates: Other: undated

Filtered By

  • Subject: Notes X

Additional filters:

Subject
Notes 5
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 4
Beijing (China) 4
China -- Politics and government -- 1912-1949 4
China -- Politics and government -- 1928-1937 4