William Montgomery McGovern | |
|---|---|
 William Montgomery McGovern in 1923 | |
| Born | (1897-09-28)September 28, 1897 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1964(1964-12-12) (aged 67) Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professor Archaeologist Adventurer |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Notable works | Colloquial Japanese To Lhasa in Disguise Jungle Paths and Inca Ruins From Luther to Hitler: The History of Fascist-Nazi Political Philosophy |
| Spouse | Margaret Montgomery |
William Montgomery McGovern (September 28, 1897 – December 12, 1964) was an American adventurer, political scientist,Northwestern University professor,anthropologist andjournalist. He was a possible inspiration for the character ofIndiana Jones.[1][2]
By age 30, McGovern had explored the Amazon and braved uncharted regions of theHimalayas, survived revolution in Mexico, studied atOxford University and theSorbonne, and become aBuddhist priest in a Japanese monastery. He was also a lecturer, war correspondent and military strategist.
McGovern was born inManhattan, New York, on September 28, 1897, the son of Janet Blair (née Montgomery) and Felix Daniel McGovern, an army officer.[3]Time reported that he began to travel at the age of six weeks, once visitingMexico with his mother "just to see a revolution."[4]
His formative years were spent in Asia. McGovern graduated with the degree of soro, orDoctor of Divinity, from theBuddhist monastery ofNishi Honganji inKyoto, Japan at age 20 before going on to study at theSorbonne andUniversity of Berlin. He received hisD.Phil. fromChrist Church,Oxford in 1922—working his way through school by teaching Chinese atSOAS,University of London.[5]
Shortly after graduation he began his first great expedition, to the remote mountain kingdom ofTibet. In his bookTo Lhasa in Disguise, McGovern claims he had to sneak into the country disguised as a local porter. AsTime reported in 1938:
With a few Tibetan servants, he climbed through the wild, snowy passes of the Himalayas. There, in the bitter cold, he stood naked while a companion covered his body with brown stain, squirted lemon juice into his blue eyes to darken them. Thus disguised as a coolie, he arrived in the Forbidden City without being detected, but disclosed himself to the civilian officials. A fanatical mob led by Buddhist monks stoned his house. Bill McGovern slipped out through a back door and joined the mob in throwing stones. The civil government took him into protective custody, finally sent him back to India with an escort.[4]
Another expedition toPeru and the Amazon would follow a few years later, resulting in another book,Jungle Paths and Inca Ruins.
In 1937, McGovern was named Far East correspondent by theChicago Times, arriving in Tokyo with Thomas C. Quackenboss, a family friend and former student of McGovern's at Northwestern, aswar began with China. Both men set off forManchukuo to cover the invasion, only to see Thomas C. Quackenboss thrown into jail for taking photos in the streets. They went on to spend long stints on the front.
When the United States joined what had become World War II, McGovern joined theUnited States Naval Reserve, serving from 1941 to 1945. AtGuadalcanal, he operated behind enemy lines, using his knowledge of Japanese to taunt enemy soldiers and interrogate captives. In the closing days of the war he served in theEuropean Theatre, crossing theRhine withGeneral Patton.[6]
His most important job was not martial in nature however. Throughout the war he would rise at 5:30 AM to prepare a top-secret newspaper on enemy capabilities and intentions. This paper was considered required breakfast reading forPresident Roosevelt and theJoint Chiefs.[6]
At age 30, McGovern became assistant curator of theanthropology department atChicago'sField Museum of Natural History. Two years later, was appointed a professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, a position he would hold for the rest of his life. As Professor of Far Eastern Studies his classes were perpetually oversubscribed, given his eminence and popularity. His lectures were never dull and frequently peppered with anecdotes from his time in the far east, particularly in Tibet and Japan. He insisted that his pupils learn at least one or two kanji characters a week as he carefully illustrated them on a large chalkboard at the front of the lecture hall and explained their meanings as he drew them. His students considered themselves fortunate to have landed a spot in one of his classes. His son, William M. McGovern jr., followed him into academia teaching law at Northwestern University School of Law in the early 1960s.
Between his time as a war correspondent during the Sino-Japanese War and the entry of the United States into World War II, McGovern lectured on government atHarvard University. In 1941, he publishedFrom Luther to Hitler: The History of Fascist-Nazi Political Philosophy.[7] During the postwar years, McGovern lectured on military intelligence and strategy at theNaval,Air andArmy War Colleges.
Reputed to speak 12 languages anddeaf in one ear, McGovern was an academic celebrity known for outlandish foreign dress and holding court in Northwestern's University Club.
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McGovern died after a long illness in Evanston at age 67 on December 12, 1964.[8] He was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.
McGovern married his second cousin, Margaret Montgomery, and with her had four children—three daughters and a son.
ActressElizabeth McGovern is his granddaughter.[9] University of Washington mathematics professor William Monty McGovern is his grandson.
McGovern's work on Asian history, in particular his interpretations of Chinese classical sources, was criticized by a reviewer in the journalAmerican Anthropologist: "Dr. McGovern has converted this dry and perplexing source material into a racy and jocular chronicle where fact and fancy are so thoroughly mixed that a general reader could not possibly differentiate them. Furthermore, there are numerous generalizations and speculations not justified by the sources."[10] His bookFrom Luther to Hitler was criticized by a reviewer in theAmerican Political Science Review: "Failure to distinguish clearly between basic assumptions and the doctrines deduced from them enables [him] to suggest a degree of continuity which dissolves upon closer examination."[11]
