Richard Henry Savage

Biography

"The adventurous life of Richard Henry Savage began on June 12, 1846, in Utica, New York, born to Richard (1817-1903) and Jane Moorhead Savage (née Ewart). His father, a distinguished lawyer, earned renown as one of the discoverers of Nevada's Comstock Lode. During the Civil War, he served the Lincoln administration as Internal Revenue Collector and Federal Assessor, and is also remembered as a pivotal founder of the Californian Republican Party. \n\nGrowing up in San Francisco, young Savage was among the city's first students to benefit from public schooling. By twenty-two, he graduated near the top of his class at West Point Military Academy, swiftly embarking on service in the American West on the staffs of former Civil War generals Henry Halleck (1815-1872), Edward Ord (1818-1883), George Thomas (1816-1870), and John Schofield (1831-1906). From 1871 to 1872, his career took an exotic turn as a Major in the Egyptian Army, serving as Military Secretary to former American General Charles Pomeroy Stone (1824-1887), who was then Chief of Staff and General aide-de-camp to Isma'il Pasha (1830-1895), Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. Later, Savage served as American Vice-Counsel in Marseilles and Rome and was appointed to a commission investigating a border dispute between the United States and Mexico. After retiring from government service in 1884, Savage embarked on extensive global expeditions, conducting geographical studies across Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, and Honduras. Such a life of daring and exploration has led some to speculate that Richard Henry Savage served, at least in part, as an inspiration for the iconic 1930s and 1940s pulp hero, Doc Savage. \n\nThough initially a lawyer in civilian life, Savage's true calling blossomed into a prolific literary career. His pen produced over 40 books, with popular titles including \"My Official Wife\", \"Delilah of Harlem\", \"The Mask of Venus\", \"Our Mysterious Passenger and Other Stories\", and \"In the Shadow of the Pyramids\", a biography dedicated to Isma'il Pasha. In total, Savage authored some thirty volumes of prose and poetry, alongside several more volumes of essays and speeches culled from his many speaking engagements. \n\nHis personal life saw a significant turn on January 2, 1873, with his marriage to Mme. Anna Josephine Schible (1843-1910), a recently widowed German aristocrat. The union, a grand affair, took place at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., with Baron Schlozer, the German Ambassador, serving as the bride's witness of honor. Their only child, a daughter, later married Anatol de Carriere, the Russian Imperial Councilor of State. \n\nNever one to shy from duty, Savage volunteered during the American war with Spain, serving with distinction in Cuba as senior Captain of the 27th U.S. Volunteer Infantry. His valor earned him the post of Brigadier General and Chief Engineer of Spanish War Veterans after the conflict. \n\nThe remarkable journey of Richard Henry Savage concluded tragically on October 11, 1903, in New York City. He succumbed eight days after a fatal accident at the corner of 6th Avenue and 42nd Street, where he was run over by a horse and wagon. Adding a layer of poignant irony, his 86-year-old father passed away in San Francisco on the very day his son met his untimely end."