Beverly Hills, California, United States of America
Nationality
American
Occupation(s)
Magazine & newspaper editor, film writer
Known for
Editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine
Spouse(s)
Several (see 'Personal Life and Family' section)
Children
Ray Long (1924–1998)
William Ray Long,[1] (March 23, 1878[2] – July 9, 1935) was an American newspaper, magazine, film, writer, and editor[2] who is notable for being the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine between 1919 and 1931.[3] He is said to have had "a colorful career"[2] before he was affected by financial problems and ended up committing suicide.[4]
His good writing and editing skills allowed for him to get promoted to better positions.[6] Long was the Chicago manager for the United Press at one point in time, and he was the managing editor of The Red Book in Chicago in 1912, a position that he received due to his good ability to understand people's tastes and likes.[6] Long said that he looked at words and articles by how they sounded ("by ear"), rather than by seeing if they were grammatically correct or full of information and knowledge.[4]
A large number of short stories by the writer Somerset Maugham first appeared in Cosmopolitan, Hearst's International and Good Housekeeping. Maugham's connection with the Hearst publications began in 1920 at Ray Long's initiative and continued into the late 1940s.
Professional decline
On October 1, 1931,[9] Long retired from Cosmopolitan and went into the book publishing business, which had been his lifelong ambition.[4]
In 1932 he edited, and published with his publishing partner Richard R. Smith, 20 Best Stories in Ray Long's 20 Years as an Editor,[10] however, this first publishing enterprise with Smith failed, and caused Long to become bankrupt in 1933.[6] His bankruptcy led him to move to some islands in the South Seas near Tahiti, where he lived for a year before moving back to the United States (it has been suggested that his move to the South Seas was inspired by Somerset Maugham's novel The Moon and Sixpence).[6]
In his last several years, he went to Hollywood, California[5] and wrote and edited films for several film corporations, including Columbia Pictures Corporation, Fox Film Corporation, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[5] He also returned to the magazine business, working for Photoplay, Shadowplay,[4] and Liberty magazines. He was so financially desperate that he had to rely on old friends and acquaintances to get whatever jobs he could.[5]
Personal life and family
Long first married Florence E. Webster, but divorced her in 1910.[1] He married [1] Mrs. Pearl Dillon Schon, a daughter of Washington F. Dillon, in September 1910. She was a writer herself.[11] Finally, in 1922, Long married Lucy Virginia Bovie, who was originally from Gallipolis, Ohio.[4] Their only child, Ray Long, was born two years later.[4] At the time of Long's death, his wife and his son, both of whom outlived Long, resided in Greenwich, Connecticut, whereas Long had been residing in California at the time.[4]
Suicide
Several weeks before his suicide, Long began feeling ill.[4] His maid, Helen Amdt (or Andt),[2] said that on the day before his suicide, he was in a "dark mood all afternoon" and "seemed unusually morose".[4] On Tuesday,[2] July 9, 1935, at the age of 57,[12] in the bedroom of his California home, he apparently attempted suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a small caliber rifle.[4] The bullet became stuck in his neck and a part of his spinal cord became severed.[6] He was found unconscious and dying by his maid, lying on the bedroom floor and wearing silk pajamas.[4] Long was taken to an emergency hospital during an operation that unsuccessfully attempted to save his life.[13] Long died half an hour after being taken to the hospital.[6]
Regarding Long's death, A.G. Peterson, the Beverly Hills officer who investigated Long's death, stated that "[t]here is no doubt [that] it was a suicide".[2] No suicide note explaining why Long chose to commit suicide was ever found.[4] One of Long's friends speculated that part of the reason why he committed suicide was because he "guessed he had passed his peak" in terms of creative output.[5] This matches with previous statements by some of Long's friends "that the only thing on earth he feared was "going stale".[5] He was cremated and his ashes were put into the Pacific Ocean.[14]
In a bibliographic study of Somerset Maugham, Raymond Toole Stott writes: "Oddly enough, Ray Long lost his life because of his association with Maugham. He was sent the typescript of The Moon and Sixpence and after reading it decided he, too, wanted to paint. He was over 50 but he threw up his job and went to live in one of the islands in the Pacific. He painted for a number of years, then decided he had no aptitude for it, and killed himself."[15]
Funeral
Many of Long's friends, including some prominent writers, attended his funeral, including novelist Rupert Hughes (uncle of famous aviator and philanthropist Howard Hughes), humorist Irvin S. Cobb, and stage actor George Jessel.[16] However, his wife Lucy did not attend his funeral since she said that she was too ill.[2] His funeral service lasted only eight minutes.[16] Rupert Hughes was the individual who was chosen to deliver the eulogy.[16] Hughes said that "[Ray Long had] spent his life putting flowers into the hearts of others", and Long's friends all over the world compensated Long by sending him flowers for his funeral.[16]
Works
Books
An Editor Looks at Russia: One Unprejudiced View of the Land of the Soviets (NY: Ray Long & Richard R. Smith, 1931)
20 Best Short Stories in Ray Long's 20 Years as an Editor (NY: Crown, 1932)
Articles by
"James Oliver Curwood and His Far North," The Bookman, February 1921.
"I'm Drinking More Than I Ever Did Before–Aren't You?," Hearst's International, August 1924.
"The Good New Days," American Legion Monthly, December 1926.
"A Letter to a Young Man with an Urge to Edit a Popular Magazine," The Bookman, January 1927.
^George Moore; O M. Brack (1988). George Moore on Parnassus: Letters (1900–1933) to Secretaries, Publishers, Printers, Agents, Literati, Friends, and Acquaintances. University of Delaware Press. p. 720. ISBN0874131529.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Long, Ray - editor. (1932). 20 Best Stories in Ray Long's 20 Years as an Editor. New York: Crown Publishers - "Why Editors Go Wrong: 'Fifty Grand' by Ernest Hemingway", pp. 1-3.
