Richard M. Ketchum

Richard M. Ketchum (1922–2012) was an American historian and magazine editor. Historian Douglas Brinkley has said that Ketchum was "the finest historian of the American Revolution."[1]

Early life

Ketchum was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 1922, to George and Thelma Patton Ketchum. He graduated from Yale College in 1943 with a degree in American history.[2] During World War II, Ketchum served as commander of a Navy submarine chaser in the Atlantic.

Career

Ketchum owned an advertising agency until 1951 and worked at the U. S. Information Agency.[2] He then worked for the American Heritage Publishing Company from 1956 until 1974, with him writing 33 articles for American Heritage Magazine.[3]

Country Journal

In 1974, Ketchum moved to Dorset, Vermont and adapted a farming lifestyle, There, he co-founded Country Journal with William S. Blair. They shared a commonality that they both worked in the publishing industry in Manhattan, NYC before moving to the state of Vermont, in which they opted to operate a farm. In 1972, Ketchum and Blair banded together and decided to establish a magazine of their own. Their initial budget was $205,000, which included $170,000 from their friends and $35,000 from the co-founder's savings. With the funding, they kickstarted the magazine production. Country Journal's coverage ranged from how-tos to opinion pieces on issues like energy policies.[4]

The magazine was popular, reaching a circulation of circa 300,000. It was sold in 1984,[2] and had a editorial team of eight in 1972.[4] The magazine was originally called the Blair & Ketchum’s Country Journal before it was renamed simply to Country Journal.[2] It received a National Magazine Award in April 1975.[4] According to The New York Times, the magazine "offered a blend of the bucolic and the practical, particularly to city folk who had opted for the rural life."[2]

Late life

Ketchum was the author of numerous books. The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941 (1989) described the events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Ketchum was particularly interested in the American Revolution. His last book, Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution was an account of the battle and unlikely triumph that led to American independence.

Ketchum spent last 4 years of his life in a retirement home In January 12, 2012, with him being the age of 89, a retirement home in Shelburne, Vermont became the final resting place of Ketchum.[2]

Bibliography

Revolutionary War Books
  • 1962: Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill
  • 1973: The Winter Soldiers: The Battles for Trenton and Princeton
  • 1974: The World of George Washington
  • 1997: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War
  • 2002: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York
  • 2004: Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution

Other Books
  • 1965: The American Heritage Book of Great Historic Places
  • 1970: Faces from the Past
  • 1970: The Secret Life of the Forest
  • 1973: Will Rogers: His Life and Times
  • 1989: The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941

Selected articles

References
  1. Publisher description of the book Victory at Yorktown. ISBN 0805073965.
  2. Hevesi, Dennis (January 20, 2012). "Richard M. Ketchum Dies at 89; Chronicled the Rural Life". The New York Times.
  3. "Author Page for Richard Ketchum". AmericanHeritage.com.
  4. "The Press: Country Slickers". Time. 1975-04-28. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-04-06.



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