Charles W. Furlong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1874 |
| Died | 1967 |
| Occupation | Explorer |
Charles Wellington Furlong (1874–1967) was an American explorer, writer, artist and photographer from Massachusetts.
Furlong was born inCambridge, Massachusetts in 1874. He graduated fromMassachusetts Normal Art School in 1895. From 1901 to 1902, he was a student atCornell,Harvard,Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris.[1] He was the head of the Art Department at Cornell from 1896 to 1904.
He was inNorth Africa, 1904–1905;Tierra del Fuego, 1907–1908; andVenezuela, 1910. In 1915 he was a member of an expedition to the West African islands for theHarvard Museum of Comparative Zoology (theKitty A expedition).[2]
He was the first American to explore theTripolitan Sahara. This experience led to his writing of The Gateway to the Sahara in 1909. Harper's magazine funded him on a trip toSouth America around 1909. His article "The Southernmost people of the world" came out of this trip. Even after the article was written he continued to travel and explore in South America.
His world travels led to a decline in his overall health, in order to get better he traveled to the American West asTheodore Roosevelt had done for his health earlier.
In 1914, he became a member of theU.S. Army until the end ofWorld War I in 1918. After the war, he was a Member of the American Peace delegation inParis, France for a year. Then in 1919 he was appointed as the Special Military aide to PresidentWoodrow Wilson for a brief time before he was reappointed as a Military observer, intelligence officer in theBalkans, Near East and Middle East. His association with the U.S. military was not a brief affair. He served as a Reserve officer for 34 years, attaining the rank of colonel. His knowledge of the Middle East was valuable duringWorld War II.
In 1925, he helped establish a voting system inTacona, Africa, personally designing ballots and setting up polling places in remote areas.While traveling the world he continued to write and create a variety of types and kinds of art, along with his work as a diplomat and military delegate.
He died in 1967, leaving behind two children.
• -- (August, 1918) "Climbing the Shoulders of Atlas," Harper's Monthly Magazine 819 (1918): 420–434.
http://americanart.si.edu/search/search_artworks1.cfm?StartRow=1&ConID=1704&format=short
