Jesse Hill Ford Letter
This 1976 letter from Jesse Hill Ford to Saint Harold Seligman, Esq., includes information about his and his wife's time in the Caribbean, their schedule, and Mary Jane and Edward, the lawyer, Kohrs, whom he met whilst working for the Tennessee Medical Association.
Dates
- 1976 June 18
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite, and a minimum of 2 business days are needed to retrieve these items for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the collections are advised to contact Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This 1976 letter from Jesse Hill Ford to Saint Harold Seligman, Esq., includes information about his and his wife's time in the Caribbean, their schedule, and Mary Jane and Edward, the lawyer, Kohrs.
Biographical/Historical Note
Although born in Troy, Alabama, Jesse Hill Ford grew up in Nashville, Tenn. He received a BA from Vanderbilt University in 1951, and while there, he was campus correspondent for the Nashville Tennessean. Ford continued to work as a journalist whilst completing his master's degree at the University of Florida in 1955. From 1955 to 1957, he worked as a public relations director for the Tennessee Medical Association and for the American Medical Association in Chicago, Illinois, but in 1957, his family moved to Humboldt, Tenn. Ford published his first novel, Mountains of Gilead (1961), followed by the television and stage scripts of his drama The Conversion of Buster Drumwright in 1964. In 1965 came The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones, a fictionalized account of the killing of a black undertaker who wanted to leave his wife for having an affair with a white policeman. He later dramatized this work for a movie version. Ford also taught as a visiting lecturer at several universities, including Memphis State (1969-71) and Vanderbilt (1987). Then, in 1975, he published The Raider, a historical novel set in West Tennessee before and during the Civil War. Later, Ford moved to Hollywood, rewriting screenplays. He finally returned to Nashville, Tenn., where he committed suicide due to failing health on June 1, 1996.
Arrangement
Collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Collection removed from autographed copy of Ford's book The Raider (Boston, Toronto: Little Brown, c. 1975) and is property of the UT Special Collections Library.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository