ALEX HALEY
Alexander Murphy Palmer Haley was born on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, New York.
He was the oldest child of Simon Alexander and Bertha Palmer Haley. At the time
of his birth, his father was a graduate student at Cornell University and his
mother was a music teacher.
As a young boy, Alex Haley first learned of his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte,
by listening to the family stories of his maternal grandparants while spending
his summers in Henning, Tennessee. According to family history, Kunta Kinte
landed with other Gambian Africans in "Napolis" (Annapolis, Maryland) where he
was sold into slavery.
Alex Haley's quest to learn more about his family history resulted in his
writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Roots. The book has been published in 37
languages, and was made into the first week-long television mini-series, viewed
by an estimated 130 million people. Roots also generated widespread interest in
genealogy.
Haley's writing career began after he entered the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.
Haley was the first member of the U.S. Coast Guard with a Journalist designation.
In 1999 the U.S. Coast Guard honored Haley by naming a Coast Guard Cutter after
him. Haley's personal motto, "Find the Good and Praise It," appears on the ship's
emblem. He retired from the military after 20 years of service, and then
continued writing.
Out of the service, he tried his hand at journalism in the private sector. His
first successful article was an interview that appreared in Playboy Magazine in
1962. Alex next worked on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Published in 1965, it
became Haley's first major book.
It was about this time his thoughts then turned back to the family story of the
African slave that he heard as a child. His work on the story, which he knew he
had to write, became a primary focus of his writing efforts. He details his many
years of research in the last chapter of Roots. First referred to as Before This
Anger, it was eventually published in abbreviated form in 1974 by the Reader's
Digest. The completed version of Roots was placed on bookshelves in 1976. The
award winning book and television mini-series introduced Kunta Kinte to the
world.
Other Haley publications include A Different Kind of Christmas, a 1990 book
about the underground railroad, and Queen, the story of Haley's paternal
ancestors. Queen was produced into a television mini-series, which first aired
in the winter of 1993.
Perhaps one of Alex Haley's greatest gifts was in speaking. He was a fascinating
teller of tales. In great demand as a lecturer, both nationally and
internationally, he was on a lecture tour in Seattle, Washington, when he died
on February 10, 1992.
Alexander Murphy Palmer Haley was born on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, New York.
He was the oldest child of Simon Alexander and Bertha Palmer Haley. At the time
of his birth, his father was a graduate student at Cornell University and his
mother was a music teacher.
As a young boy, Alex Haley first learned of his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte,
by listening to the family stories of his maternal grandparants while spending
his summers in Henning, Tennessee. According to family history, Kunta Kinte
landed with other Gambian Africans in "Napolis" (Annapolis, Maryland) where he
was sold into slavery.
Alex Haley's quest to learn more about his family history resulted in his
writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Roots. The book has been published in 37
languages, and was made into the first week-long television mini-series, viewed
by an estimated 130 million people. Roots also generated widespread interest in
genealogy.
Haley's writing career began after he entered the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.
Haley was the first member of the U.S. Coast Guard with a Journalist designation.
In 1999 the U.S. Coast Guard honored Haley by naming a Coast Guard Cutter after
him. Haley's personal motto, "Find the Good and Praise It," appears on the ship's
emblem. He retired from the military after 20 years of service, and then
continued writing.
Out of the service, he tried his hand at journalism in the private sector. His
first successful article was an interview that appreared in Playboy Magazine in
1962. Alex next worked on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Published in 1965, it
became Haley's first major book.
It was about this time his thoughts then turned back to the family story of the
African slave that he heard as a child. His work on the story, which he knew he
had to write, became a primary focus of his writing efforts. He details his many
years of research in the last chapter of Roots. First referred to as Before This
Anger, it was eventually published in abbreviated form in 1974 by the Reader's
Digest. The completed version of Roots was placed on bookshelves in 1976. The
award winning book and television mini-series introduced Kunta Kinte to the
world.
Other Haley publications include A Different Kind of Christmas, a 1990 book
about the underground railroad, and Queen, the story of Haley's paternal
ancestors. Queen was produced into a television mini-series, which first aired
in the winter of 1993.
Perhaps one of Alex Haley's greatest gifts was in speaking. He was a fascinating
teller of tales. In great demand as a lecturer, both nationally and
internationally, he was on a lecture tour in Seattle, Washington, when he died
on February 10, 1992.