John Griffith Chaney, whose name was later changed to Jack London, was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, CA. He was an American novelist, activist, and journalist.

London was born in San Francisco but was brought to be raised in Oakland after his mother, Flora Wellman, married his stepfather, John London. He was brought up by a black woman, a former slave named Virginia Prentiss, who acted as an important maternal figure to Jack London.

He graduated from Oakland High School and attended UC Berkeley, although he didn’t complete his studies or publish in any of the school’s publications.

After years of sailing his boat as an oyster pirate for money, hoboing, joining the Socialist Labor Party, dropping out of UC Berkeley, and participating in the Klondike Gold Rush, in 1899 Jack London’s short stories were appearing in various magazines. The 1890s was a particularly important time for writers because newer and faster printing technologies were being used, which in turn developed a bigger readership across the country.

He reached celebrity status as a writer in 1903 when his novel The Call of the Wild was published. He was 27 years old. Throughout his career, London was considered an intellectual, activist, photojournalist, photographer, documentarian, and war correspondent, and he published more than 50 books and countless articles. He was married twice and had two daughters. He died on his ranch in Sonoma County in 1916, and Jack London State Historic Park was created to commemorate his life and legacy.

Haunts:

  • Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, located at 48 Webster Street, near which he lived in 1886.
  • Hickmott Canning Company at First and Filbert Streets, where he worked as a factory worker at age 14.
  • The Razzle Dazzle, his sailboat on which he poached oysters along the Oakland waterfront and sold them to local restaurants at age 15.
  • Wolf House, his dream home in Sonoma County, located at Wolf House Service Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (currently in Jack London State Historic Park).

~ by Mia Boykin ~

External Links: 

Brandt, Kenneth. “The Short, Frantic, Rags-to-Riches Life of Jack London.” Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2016, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/short-heroic-rags-riches-life-jack-london-180961200/.

“Jack London Documentary.” YouTube, uploaded by who knows, 11 Jan. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saV_IMqIMX4.

Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “Jack London: AMERICAN AUTHOR.” Encyclopedia Brittanica, Encyclopedia Brittanica Inc. Encyclopedia Brittanica Online, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-London.

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