Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 - 1991)

Born 2 Mar 1904 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Helen Marion (Palmer) Geisel — married 29 Nov 1927 (to 23 Oct 1967) in Westfield, Essex, New Jersey, USA

Husband of Audrey Grace Florine (Stone) Geisel — married 5 Aug 1968 in Reno, Washoe, Nevada, USA

Died 24 Sep 1991 at age 87 in La Jolla, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States

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Biography

Ted Geisel is Notable.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, cartoonist, and poet. He is best known for his illustrated children's books, written under the pen name of Dr. Seuss.

Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel was born at his parents' home on 2 March 1904 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA. He was the son of Theodor Robert Geisel Jr. (1879-1968) and his wife, Henrietta Augusta (Seuss) Geisel (1878-1931). He grew up with an older sister, Marguerita Christina Geisel, born on 4 July 1902. His parents lost their youngest daughter, Henrietta Bertha Geisel (b: 17 Aug. 1906; d: 19 Dec. 1907), in infancy. ^[1]

On the April 1910 US Census, "Theodore S. Geisel" was recorded as six years old, living with his parents in the house that they owned on Fairfield Street, Springfield Ward 7, Hampden County, Massachusetts, with his sister, 7-year-old Margaretta Geisel. His father, Theodore R. Geisel, age 30, was a "Brewery Manager" in Springfield. His mother, Henrietta A. Geisel, 31, was "Keeping House". Their bourgeois household included a live-in maid, Anna Linder, age 29, born in Germany. ^[2]

After graduating from Central High School in Springfield and earning his Bachelor's Degree at Dartmouth College in neighboring New Hampshire, Theodor decided he wanted to study at England's celebrated Oxford University. After his first attempt failed, he succeeded with his father's financial help and left for England in the early 1920s where he matriculated at Lincoln College, Oxford. While there, he met an engaging young American named Helen Marion Palmer (1898-1967), also studying English Literature at Oxford. They shared some classes and in the spring of 1926 they were engaged. Helen succeded in obtaining her Masters in English Literature but Ted, who, truth-be-told, spent more time courting Helen or traveling around on his motorcycle than studying, did not. ^[3]

All four of Ted Seuss Geisel's grandparents had been immigrants to Massachusetts from 19th Century European states (Grand Duchy of Baden & Kingdom of Bavaria) that are now part of Germany. In June 1926, while studying literature at Oxford in England, Ted joined his parents returning to visit family members who'd remained in their German homeland. He found it a depressing experience as so many were still living basic subsistance agricultural lives which his two grandfathers had avoided as they climbed the ladder to prosperity in the era of the "American Dream". ^[4]

The couple returned to the United States in 1927 and began teaching English in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City. On 29 November 1927, Theodor Geisel and Helen Palmer were married at 5 PM in Westfield, Essex, New Jersey, at the home of Helen's older brother, Robert Judson Palmer (1896-aft.1942). Helen's mother gave her away, as her father had passed away in 1910. ^[5]

Theodor and Helen Geisel set up housekeeping in a rented apartment on West End Avenue, in Manhattan's Upper West Side, where they were recorded on the 15 April 1930 US Census as married and 26 and 30 years old. Theodor said he was an "Artist: Life Magazine publication". Helen did not declare a profession and her main occupation was encouraging her husband to give up his idea of teaching English and to concentrate on his "fabulous collection" of fanciful animal drawings and the stories that they inspired. ^[6]

Helen's strategy worked and the couple's finances definitely improved despite the Great Depression in the 1930s. Ted published his first children's book as "Dr. Seuss" in 1937 with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. His work as an illustrative artist for major publications such as Vanity Fair and Life also flourished. ^[7]

The 1 April 1940 US Census recorded that Theodor and Helen Geisel, 36 and 41 years old, had moved to Manhattan's exclusive Park Avenue, now with a live-in German-born cook, 37-year-old Caroline Federl. Ted still called himself an "Artist" but added "and Writer" on the Census.^[8]

During World War II, Ted supported them with political anti-Axis cartoon illustrations and non-combatant work for the US Army. In 1943, he joined the Army as a Captain and was named head of the Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit under the Army Air Forces. He wrote several Army training documentaries in 1944-1946. ^[7]

When the war ended, he and Helen accepted an offer to move to southern California to produce a post-war documentary to help American soldiers and officials deal with how best to "occupy and administer" defeated Japan, whose culture and politics were very foreign to Americans. Originally called Our Job in Japan, the two of them expanded the original work into a feature-length film exploring Japanese culture called "Design for Death" in 1947, produced in Hollywood. For the first time Helen Palmer Geisl was recognized for her role in writing and editing the documentary with her husband when it won the 1947 Academy Award Oscar for "Best Documentary Feature Film". ^[9] In 1948, they purchased a home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, California. Called "The Tower," it would be their primary residence for the rest of both of their lives.

Ted's illustrated children's writing career took off in the 1950s as post-war America sought to restore traditional values but with a "twist" that also heralded the society's new self-confidence as it could now poke fun at itself through the tell-tale eyes of imaginary creatures, caricatures of real-life innocents, heroes and villans. Dr. Seuss' cleverly-illustrated childrens' classics like If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Horton Hears a Who! (1955), The Cat in the Hat (1957), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), Green Eggs and Ham (1960), and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (1960), rolled off his typewriter between 1950-1960, firmly establishing him as America's foremost children's author of the modern era. Movies, and especially television, brought his whimsical characters alive to the masses with 11 television specials, five feature films, a Broadway musical, and four TV series spun off from his 60 plus books during his lifetime. ^[7]

Despite chronic health problems stemming from serious childhood illnesses, including a bout with polio, at La Jolla, California, Helen Geisel worked tirelessly at her husband's side, as an editor of his Dr. Seuss creations and overall "cheerleader" behind his literary and media successes. She also began to write her own children's books as Helen Palmer, introducing the novel method of illustrating her books with professional black & white photographs, instead of the ever-popular pen-and-ink line drawings of Dr. Seuss. ^[9]

Unfortunately, her newfound success as a children's author was overshadowed by her increasingly bad health that took a toll, both mentally and physically. Depressed about her famous husband's increasingly distant stance, Helen Marion Geisel passed away from an overdose of sleeping pills at 69 years old on 23 October 1967, at their home in La Jolla, San Diego, California.^[10][11][12] At her request, her body was cremated but she does have a photo-illustrated Find A Grave Memorial. ^[13]

In fact, Ted and Helen had grown apart during the 1960s as each pursued their own careers while enjoying newfound fame and fortune, in southern California's relaxed, open, lifestyle. In 1960, at a reception at the Scripps Medical Clinic in La Jolla, the couple made the acquaintance of Dr. Edmund Grey Dimond, founder and head of the recently created Institute for Cardiopulmonary Diseases at Scripps. He and his wife, Audrey (Stone) Dimond (1921-2018), a former nurse, now a volunteer in Scripps Clinic's cancer ward, were among the hosts. Mistaking Ted for a member of the Clinic's staff, Audrey Dimond made a facetious and funny remark to him that piqued Ted's interest and the two couples, almost neighbors, became close La Jolla friends. They frequently attended parties as a foursome or enjoyed quiet "intellectual evenings" at the Geisel's La Jolla "The Tower" home. ^[14]

Exactly when friendship grew into something more intimate is not known but as Ted and Helen grew apart, he grew closer and closer to Audrey, who seemingly returned his affections. When Helen overdosed in September 1967, Ted turned to Audrey for comfort and help in dealing with the media and well-wishers. Things came to a head in the summer of 1968. On 5 August 1968, the couple drove to Reno, Washoe County, Nevada, where Audrey (Stone) Dimond obtained a "quickie (uncontested) divorce" from Edmunds Grey Dimond. Later that same day, Audrey Grace Dimond married Theodor S. Geisel in Reno, Nevada. ^[15]

If Ted Geisel felt any regret over the turn of events in the 1960s that had led to Helen's untimely passing, he never spoke or wrote about it; he simply "turned the page" and, as a longtime friend remarked: Audrey gave him new vitality and kept him alive longer. She quickly moved into his "The Tower" home in La Jolla, adding new color and life plus taking on the role of "muse" for his creativity. She remained at his side for next two decades and managed his literary estate after his death.^[16]

Theodor Seuss Geisel passed away at 87 years old on 24 September 1991 from cancer at his Tower home in La Jolla, California. At his request, his body was cremated and ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.^{[17] [18][19]}

From the mid-1950s to the present, Theodor Geisel as Dr. Seuss won many awards and distinctions. In 1955 his American alma-mater, Dartmouth College, awarded him an honorary "Doctorate of Humane Letters" for his already-impressive literary and media achievements. Several years later, the Dartmouth Medical School renamed itself The Audrey and Theodor Geisel School of Medicine in recognition of the couple's many years of generous donations. He was also awarded a second honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from Whittier College in 1980. America's professional children's librarians awarded him the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal in 1980, recognizing his substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature. He then won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Later, in 2004, the children's librarians set up an annual Theodor Seuss Geisel Award to recognize the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. Other honors include two Academy Awards (Oscars), two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Inkpot Award. Dr. Seuss also has a star on the Hollywood Avenue Walk of Fame. ^[7]

Ted's second wife, Audrey Grace Florine (Stone) Geisel (1921-2018), was executor of his 1991 estate. She spent the next quarter century organizing, expanding and defending his literary heritage, editing new posthumous works based on earlier-written articles and stories, and overseeing the licensing of all works based on Dr. Seuss' characters. She authorized a live-action feature-film version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, as well as a Seuss-themed Broadway musical called Seussical, in the year 2000. After Audrey's death on 19 December 2018, a nonprofit "Dr. Seuss Enterprises," that she helped create, has kept his name and work alive. ^{[7] [20]}

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1901-1960 and 1967-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records Index to Births [1916–1970]. Volumes 92–160, 162, 168, 175, 212– 213. Facsimile edition. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2V9-D9C : accessed 28 November 2021), Theodore S Geisel in household of Theodore R Geisel, Springfield Ward 7, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 649, sheet 9B, family 187, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 593; FHL microfilm 1,374,606.
3. ↑ Becoming Dr. Seuss; Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, by Brian Jay Jones. NY, NY (Dutton: 2019) Pages 63-65.
4. ↑ Becoming Dr. Seuss; Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, by Brian Jay Jones. NY, NY (Dutton: 2019), pages 67-70.
5. ↑ Becoming Dr. Seuss; Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, by Brian Jay Jones. NY, NY (Dutton: 2019) Page 80.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4K5-FSV : accessed 27 November 2021), Helen P Geisel in household of Theodor S Geisel, Manhattan (Districts 0251-0500), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 418, sheet 1A, line 36, family 14, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1554; FHL microfilm 2,341,289.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} Dr Seuss Article on Wikipedia
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQTF-HH2 : 28 July 2019), Helen P Geisel in household of Theodor S Geisel, Assembly District 15, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-1321, sheet 2B, line 80, family 6, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2655.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Wikipedia contributors, "Helen Palmer (author)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Palmer_(author) (accessed Nov. 21, 2021).
10. ↑ State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. Place: San Diego; Date: 23 Oct 1967; Social Security: 552389802.
11. ↑
12. ↑ Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Number: 552-38-9802; Issue State: California; Issue Date: Before 1951.
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172951966/helen-marion-geisel : accessed 27 November 2021), memorial page for Helen Marion Palmer Geisel (16 Sep 1898–23 Oct 1967), Find A Grave: Memorial #172951966, ; Maintained by Maggie (contributor 47162674) Cremated, Location of ashes is unknown.
14. ↑ Becoming Dr. Seuss; Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, by Brian Jay Jones. NY, NY (Dutton: 2019) Pages 301-303.
15. ↑ Ancestry.com. Nevada, U.S., Divorce Index, 1968-2015 [database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Records. Nevada Divorce Index, 1968-2005. Carson City, Nevada: Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Records; Control Certificate Number: 61590, Court Code: 2].
16. ↑ Becoming Dr. Seuss; Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination, by Brian Jay Jones. NY, NY (Dutton: 2019) Pages 346-350.
17. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2233/theodor-seuss-geisel : accessed 30 November 2021), memorial page for Theodor Seuss “Dr. Seuss” Geisel (2 Mar 1904–24 Sep 1991), Find A Grave: Memorial #2233, ; Maintained by Find a Grave Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea, who reports a Ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
18. ↑ State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
19. ↑ Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Number: 552-38-5014; Issue State: California; Issue Date: Before 1951.
20. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #195482067 Audrey Stone Geisel

• Wikipedia contributors, "Dr. Seuss," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dr._Seuss&oldid=625943444 (accessed September 25, 2014).

• Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Census Place: Springfield Ward 7, Hampden, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_593; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0649; FHL microfilm: 1374606.

• Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Census Place: Springfield Ward 6, Hampden, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_703; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 154; Image: 860.

• United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls. Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1554; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0418; Image: 538.0; FHL microfilm: 2341289.

• United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls. Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: T627_2655; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 31-1321.