A Sketch of an Eventful Life
William Beckett’s profile appeared in The Colored American Magazine in 1902. Printed in the first decade of the 20th century, this national publication fought racial injustice and championed the achievements of African Americans. Its profile of Beckett was subtitled “A Sketch of an Eventful Life.”
The profile begins with a vivid description of Beckett presiding over the main reading room at the Library of Congress. And the article includes biographical details only its subject would have known. It therefore seems likely that the profile’s author, Edwin A. Lee, interviewed Beckett himself.
The Colored American Magazine published a profile of William Beckett in July 1902 (Library of Congress).
The Colored American Magazine published a profile of William Beckett in July 1902 (Library of Congress).
The Colored American Magazine profile provided many of the stories told in this exhibit, and compelling new evidence that William Beckett was Joshua Peirce’s son. Along with the profile, the magazine published this portrait of Beckett in a bowler hat and fashionable Dundreary whiskers.