Beach, Rex, 1877-1949

American author credited with developing the author career into that of an independent entrepreneur, Rex Ellingwood Beach was born on September 1, 1877 in Atwater, Michigan to Eva Eunice Canfield and Henry Walter Beach. The Beach family relocated to Florida around 1889, and Beach would later attend Rollins College in Winter Park Florida. However, he left for Chicago, Illinois prior to his graduation to work with his brother. In 1897, Beach went to Alaska in search of gold, where he witnessed Alexander McKenzie's attempt to steal gold from mines in Nome, Alaska. He wrote about the situation in local magazines, which led to a manuscript and play, which helped Beach establish himself as a prominent author. Beach published 20 novels, and 32 of his works were scripted for film, including Howard Hughes' The Mating Call (1928).

Beach met Edith Greta Crater while working in Alaska, and the two married in 1905 in New York, New York. After his wifes death in 1947 and suffering from throat cancer, Beach died by suicide on December 7, 1949 in Sebring Florida.

Sources:

"Beach, Rex (1877-1949) ." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. . Encyclopedia.com. (November 24, 2021). https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/beach-rex-1877-1949

"REX BEACH, AUTHOR, ENDS HIS LIFE AT 72: WRITER OF ADVENTURE STORIES LONG ILL -- HIS BOOKS SOLD MILLIONS OF COPIES.". 1949 New York Times (1923-), Dec 08. http://ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/rex-beach-author-ends-his-life-at-72/docview/105891544/se-2?accountid=3611.