Schaefer, Jack, 1907-1991

Jack Schaefer, noted 20th century journalist and writer of western novels and short stories, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1907. He attended school in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College in 1929. Graduation was followed by a year of study at Columbia University, then a year of reporting for the United Press. The Depression years were spent as assistant director of education at the Connecticut State Reformatory, and as associate editor and later editor, 1933-1942, of the New Haven "Courier Journal". Then in 1942 he joined the editorial department of the "Baltimore Sun". Gerald Johnson and H. L. Mencken were Schaefer's colleagues. In 1949 Shaefer's first novel, "Shane", appeared in book form. Previously "Shane" had been serialized in "Argosy" magazine. Later books were "First Blood", "Canyon", and "Monte Walsh". Jack Schaefer lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1955 until his death in 1991.

Jack Warner Schaefer, born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1907 is best known for his western novels. In 1969 Schaefer ended a career in journalism with the publication of his novel, Shane. Schaefer published eight novels, eight collections of short stories, one play, and several pieces classified as juvenile fiction. The common themes in Schaefer's works are maturation, the individual's attempt to reconcile personal desires with the demands of society, the effects of western expansion on the land and those who live upon it, and the changing role of the individual in society. In later years, he addressed themes of environmentalism and nature. Schaefer died in 1991 at age 83 in Santa Fe, the hometown he adopted during his writing years.