McFee, William, 1881-

William McFee was an English novelist, essayist, and literary critic.

From the guide to the William McFee collection of papers, 1914]-[1954, (The New York Public Library. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature.)

Biography

McFee was born on June 15, 1881 at sea en route to England from India; attended schools in London and the East Anglian School, Bury St. Edmunds, West Suffolk; furthered his education by evening study of technical subjects at Northampton Institute and by reading at the British Museum; apprenticed in McMuirland's Engineering Shops, London, 1897-ca. 1900, and then worked as a mechanical engineer; went to sea as junior engineer in 1906, and began to write while at sea, completing two books before moving to the U.S. to write; served as an engineer in British Navy during World War I; returned to U.S. after the war, working as an engineer at sea for the United Fruit Company; left the sea and became a full-time writer in 1923, producing novels, short stories, and essays, almost all of which concerned the sea; became U.S. citizen in 1925; wrote reviews and columns for the New York Sun and New York Times, and incidental pieces for magazines; received honorary MA from Yale University in 1936; elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1941; died on July 2, 1966 in New Milford, Connecticut.

From the guide to the William McFee Papers, ca. 1927-1942, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)

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.

• 1916: Casuals of the Sea
• 1928: Pilgrims of Adversity
• 1930: North of Suez
• 1933: No Castle in Spain
• 1935: The Beachcomber
• 1938: Derelicts
• 1940: Watch Below

From the guide to the William McFee Papers, 1922-1958, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)