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William McFee Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: KM
Date: Aug 1987

Revision history:
08 Dec 2008	converted to EAD (LDC)
17 Oct 2012	additions, promoted to regular collection (MRC)

Biographical History

William McFee (1881-1966) was a British novelist and author best known for his sea novels, such as Casuals of the Sea (1916).

William McFee was born on June 15, 1881 on his father, John Henry McFee's ship, Erin's Isle during a return trip from India. After completing school at East Anglian School in Suffolk, England, William McFee became an apprentice to the engineering firm of McMuirland's at Aldersgate in London. In 1905, he took a position as a junior engineer aboard a tramp steamer that travelled to Mediterranean, as well as African and Asian ports.

McFee served as a sublieutenant in the British navy during World War I. While serving in the eastern Mediterranean, he met Pauline Khondoff, a Bulgarian refugee. The couple wed in 1920, but divorced in 1932. After the war, McFee returned to his previous employer, the United Fruit Company, where he served as a chief engineer. However, in 1924, he decided to leave the organization to pursue a career in writing.

Most of McFee's works are nautical tales, inspired by his years at sea. He was married twice more, first to Beatrice Allender who died in 1952 and then to Dorothy North. His stepson, Richard McFee, was an electronics professor at Syracuse University. William McFee died on July 2, 1966 at his home in New Milford, Connecticut.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The William McFee Papers consist of Correspondence and Writings.

Correspondence is mostly of a personal nature, with the exception of the miscellaneous items which concern requests for autographed copies of McFee's books.

Writings consist of a copy of the 1928 edition of Pilgrims of Adversity, signed and inscribed to Wallace Maer, and a manuscript of "On Keeping a Fool at Court," an essay on American literature written for Shadowland magazine. In the essay, McFee offers this opinion:

Another remarkable feature of the literary life in America, and making for its degeneracy, is the attitude of women toward books. A certain sensuous idolatory is by no means extinct in the United States. The whole of "modern" American literature, outside of a few supreme humorists, is feminine in texture.

Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by recipient, and Writings alphabetically by title.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Evans, Montgomery, II.
Gaige, Crosby, 1882-1949.
Hansen, Harry, 1884-
MacDonald, Pirie.
McFee, William, 1881-

Associated Titles

Pilgrims of adversity.

Subjects

Authors, English.
English literature -- 20th century.
Novelists, English.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Occupations

Authors.
Novelists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William McFee Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Writings

Inventory