Hubbard Albert, whose biography is described in this article, is an American writer. The author of the famous essay "Message to Garcia." Albert was simultaneously a publisher, philosopher and artist. Hubbard has become one of the key figures in art.
Childhood
Elbert Green Hubbard was born on 06/19/1856 in the state of Illinois, in Bloomington. His mother was Juliana Francis Reed and his father Silas. Elbert was born in one place, but he grew up in another, in Hudson.
First business
Albert took up his first business in his hometown. Green sold products to one company. And thanks to this, Albert ended up in New York State, in Buffalo. It was there that the head office of the company was located. Hubbard was very smart and came up with several innovations that liked the head of the company.
Own business
After a while, Albert created his own publishing house. He was inspired by the example of W. Morris. He also had his own publishing house, in which all operations with books were carried out, as in the Middle Ages, manually. And Hubbard Elbert opened his company Roycroft Press.
She was involved in editing and publishing first two magazines. The binding of one of them was made of wrapping paper. And in the magazine was printed rude satire. At the same time, the publisher of Elbert produced unusual, but beautiful books, which were printed on handmade paper.
Hubbard’s company had two workshops (one - bookbinding) and a shop in which furniture was made. And also Green was the owner of workshops for the manufacture of forged products from copper and leather.
Commune Roycroft
In 1895, in East Aurora, Hubbard Elbert founded the Roycroft commune, intended for followers of art. This organization became the main supplier of furniture that was manufactured by Hubbard. And his workshops are a meeting place for reformers, radicals, free-thinkers and suffragists.
Albert was a popular lecturer, and his own philosophy became a passionate defense of American technology and free enterprise. Hubbard was often bullied by the press, claiming that Albert had become a capitalist. The media harshly criticized Hubbard for calling the prison a socialist paradise.
Personal life
Hubbard Albert married Bert Crawford in 1881. At that time, he was still selling soap to one company. Hubbard's wife survived him for 31 years. Elbert and Berta had four children. And Hubbard's wife was among the founders and leaders of Roycroft. But one day, Berthe found out about her husband’s betrayal with a local teacher, Alice Moore. Following this discovery, the Hubbards divorced.
Albert immediately removed his ex-wife from managing the community and company, replacing her with Alice Moore. Although Berthe enjoyed great respect and influence. But their children, even after the death of their parents, subsequently for a long time ran the business and the commune.
In 1904, Hubbard Elbert married a second time. His chosen one was the writer and feminist Alice Moore, with whom he cheated on his first wife. She graduated from the Emerson College of Public Speaking in Boston. From a second marriage, Elbert had a daughter, Miriam.
Essays "Message to Garcia"
Elbert Hubbard was not only a talented businessman, but also an excellent writer. Many of his sayings and quotes became winged. And they are contained in numerous collections of aphorisms. The essay The Epistle to Garcia, which brought Hubbard worldwide fame, was written in a few hours. This is a summary of a conversation between Elbert and his son about the outcome of the 1898 war.
Hubbard Sr. believed that the conflict ended not with the efforts of politicians, but with the help of a simple officer, E. Rowan, who completed the task and delivered a report to the Spanish General Garcia.
The first to buy the Hubbard essay was the New York Rail Administration. And then an essay was distributed to all draftees during the wars without fail. The work even turned out to be included in the school curriculum.
Lusitania liner: Hubbard's tragic death
In May 1915, the Hubbards embarked on a voyage on the Lusitania liner. After six days of sailing, a German torpedo from a submarine was launched into the ship. The Lusitania liner sank off the coast of Ireland. The Hubbards died, as did another 1,198 passengers.
On the dying ship was a family friend, E. Cooper. He was able to survive the tragedy and after salvation wrote a letter to his son Albert. Cooper said that when the torpedo hit the liner, the Hubbards went on deck, holding hands. So they always went. Despite the fact that the ship was sinking, the couple remained calm.
While Cooper was saving the children by transferring them to the boats, the Hubbarts made a decision. And when Cooper was about to jump into the rescue boat, he saw how the couple headed to one of the nearest cabins and closed the doors behind them. Apparently, Albert and Alice decided that it was better to die together than to risk parting or separation.
The death of the Lusitania liner occurred three years after the collapse of the Titanic. Hubbard at that time admired the act of Ida Strauss, who stayed with her husband, refusing to leave him and go into the lifeboat. Apparently, Elbert decided to repeat the heroic act. And, as Cooper’s story testifies, Alice supported her husband, and together they made the last important decision in their life.