James Sibley Watson
Encyclopedia
Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. (August 10, 1894 – March 31, 1982) was a Rochester, New York
, medical doctor, philanthropist, publisher, editor, and early experimenter in motion pictures.
Born in New York, Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. was an heir to the Western Union
telegraph fortune created by Hiram Sibley
and Don Alonzo Watson
. He graduated from Harvard in 1916, although he is listed as a member of the class of 1917, where he became friends with poet E. E. Cummings
. Watson and his first wife, Hildegarde Lasell Watson, were lifelong supporters of Cummings, as well as of Marianne Moore
and Kenneth Burke
.
In addition to earning a medical degree, Watson became directly involved in the literary movements of the post-World War I era with another Harvard graduate, Scofield Thayer
, who had purchased $600 worth of stock in the influential literary magazine, The Dial
, in 1918. In 1919, Thayer invited Watson to purchase ownership of The Dial from the financially strapped Martyn Johnson, with Watson serving as the magazine's new president and Thayer becoming the editor. Their joint venture produced its first issue in January 1920 and featured works by friends of Thayer and Watson such as Cummings, and through another Harvard connection, Gaston Lachaise
.
The Dial was anchored by Watson's infusions of capital and editorial support. It ceased publication with the July 1929 issue. Marianne Moore was editor at the time.
In the late 1920s, Watson became interested in the new art form of motion pictures. He produced, directed, and served as cinematographer and art director for The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) with Melville Webber, and Lot in Sodom
(1933), also with Webber. Composer Alec Wilder
, also a Rochester native, assisted with all the films, writing original music.
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, medical doctor, philanthropist, publisher, editor, and early experimenter in motion pictures.
Born in New York, Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. was an heir to the Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
telegraph fortune created by Hiram Sibley
Hiram Sibley
Hiram Sibley , was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.Sibley was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, and later resided in Rochester, New York. He became interested in the work of Samuel Morse involving the telegraph.In 1840, he joined with Morse and Ezra Cornell to create a...
and Don Alonzo Watson
Don Alonzo Watson
Don Alonzo Watson was a Rochester, New York businessman and philanthropist who, with Hiram Sibley helped found Western Union. Watson purchased a building for Rochester Homeopathic Hospital which became Genesee Hospital in Rochester...
. He graduated from Harvard in 1916, although he is listed as a member of the class of 1917, where he became friends with poet E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
. Watson and his first wife, Hildegarde Lasell Watson, were lifelong supporters of Cummings, as well as of Marianne Moore
Marianne Moore
Marianne Moore was an American Modernist poet and writer noted for her irony and wit.- Life :Moore was born in Kirkwood, Missouri, in the manse of the Presbyterian church where her maternal grandfather, John Riddle Warner, served as pastor. She was the daughter of mechanical engineer and inventor...
and Kenneth Burke
Kenneth Burke
Kenneth Duva Burke was a major American literary theorist and philosopher. Burke's primary interests were in rhetoric and aesthetics.-Personal history:...
.
In addition to earning a medical degree, Watson became directly involved in the literary movements of the post-World War I era with another Harvard graduate, Scofield Thayer
Scofield Thayer
Scofield Thayer was an American poet and publisher, best known for his art collection, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a publisher and editor of the literary magazine The Dial during the 1920s.-Life and career:...
, who had purchased $600 worth of stock in the influential literary magazine, The Dial
The Dial
The Dial was an American magazine published intermittently from 1840 to 1929. In its first form, from 1840 to 1844, it served as the chief publication of the Transcendentalists. In the 1880s it was revived as a political magazine...
, in 1918. In 1919, Thayer invited Watson to purchase ownership of The Dial from the financially strapped Martyn Johnson, with Watson serving as the magazine's new president and Thayer becoming the editor. Their joint venture produced its first issue in January 1920 and featured works by friends of Thayer and Watson such as Cummings, and through another Harvard connection, Gaston Lachaise
Gaston Lachaise
Gaston Lachaise was an American sculptor of French birth, active in the early 20th century. A native of Paris, he was most noted for his female nudes such as Standing Woman.-Early life and education:...
.
The Dial was anchored by Watson's infusions of capital and editorial support. It ceased publication with the July 1929 issue. Marianne Moore was editor at the time.
In the late 1920s, Watson became interested in the new art form of motion pictures. He produced, directed, and served as cinematographer and art director for The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) with Melville Webber, and Lot in Sodom
Lot in Sodom
Lot in Sodom is a short silent experimental film, based on the Biblical tale of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber....
(1933), also with Webber. Composer Alec Wilder
Alec Wilder
Alec Wilder was an American composer.-Biography:...
, also a Rochester native, assisted with all the films, writing original music.