John Steven McGroarty, the esteemed California author, poet, lawyer, statesman, educator, dramatist and journalist died on August 7, 1944 aged 81.
The night before he died, the ever-gracious McGroarty answered a query about his health in the lines of his last poem:
When I have had my little day,
My chance at toil, my fling at play,
And in the starry silence fall
With broken staff against the wall,
May someone pass, God grant, that way,
And, as he bends above me, say:
Goodnight, dear comrade, sleep you well,
Deep are the daisies where you fell,
I fold your empty hands that shared
Their little all with them that fared
Beside you in the rain and sun -
Goodnight, your little day is done.
John Steven McGroarty was born at Buck Mountain in Foster Township, near Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of 12 children born to Hugh and Mary M. McGroarty, both natives of Donegal, Ireland.
His Grandfather, Neil McGroarty, was born at Inver, Donegal, Ireland and eloped with Nancy Montgomery, niece of General Richard Montgomery of Donegal (friend of George Washington), the first General to die in the War of Independence, at the Battle of Quebec in 1775. In 1832 their youngest child, Hugh, married Mary McGinty (b. 15 Aug 1817); they migrated to America in 1838 with two children, Mary and Bernard. Of the 12 McGroarty children, seven survived childhood:
| Mary |
b. Ireland, 1834 |
d. PA |
| Bernard |
b. Ire. 1836 |
d. PA 1883 |
| Bridget |
b. ?? |
m. Thomas Farrell |
| Margaret |
b. 1849 or 1850 |
|
| Catherine |
b. 14 Feb 1853 PA |
m. Michael McHale 23 May 1874 |
| Hugh |
b. ??, |
many children |
|
John Steven |
b. 20 Aug 1862 |
|
He showed marked intelligence at an early age, was educated in the public schools, and received a state certificate to teach at age 16 which enabled him to complete his education at the Harry Willman Academy (Wilkes-Barre). He published his first poem at age 10; he had sent it to the weekly periodical, the Boston Pilot, without telling anyone. At age 19 he began his journalistic career with the Wilkes-Barre Evening Leader - one of the new Democratic papers in Pennsylvania.
19 Nov 1890 he married Ida Lubrecht, his childhood sweetheart and a school teacher. They were married in her family home. Just prior to his wedding, he was elected Justice of the Peace at age 21.
At age 27 he was elected Treasurer of Luzerne County PA, 1890-1893, setting a new age record for that office in Pennsylvania. He studied law and was admitted to the bar 1894, aged 32, with a practice in Wilkes-Barre.
The Copper King, Marcus Daly of Anaconda Copper Mining Co., persuaded him to serve on his legal staff, and in 1896 he moved to Montana, working in Butte and Anaconda MT. It may be that, legal staff or no, his primary function was running a Butte light company which Daly also owned. According to his own later account, John abhorred the wars between Daly and William Andrew Clark for political control of the state, not to mention the conflicts between capital and labour, vowing to Ida to do something other than "wear a copper collar" all his life.
After Mr. Daly's death in the Spring of 1900 he went with some partners to Mexico on a mining venture. They invested all their savings in a scheme which failed.
21 Nov 1901 he and Ida arrived in Los Angeles. He was exhausted and suffering from asthma. Ida put him up in a hotel room and went to work for the Broadway Department Store. The death of the German munitions manufacturer Friedrich Krupp, 22 Nov, inspired John to write a poem, "The Dead Gun-Maker" which he sent to the Los Angeles Times, which published it 24 Nov. This led to a friendship with its publisher; he worked as a journalist and was long the major editorial writer of the Times, doing a column of homey (and later political) comment.
In 1906 he became editor of the Grafton Publishing Company's West Coast Magazine, primarily a vehicle for promoting the beauty and living conditions in the cities of Southern California. He edited the magazine until 1914. In the Spring of 1918 is a full page written by him, but without by-line (except for a poem in a centre box). Under a new format, 2 Mar 1919, McGroarty's name appeared at the bottom of the page. By 6 April the name was printed larger. By 31 Jul 1921 his by-line moved to the top of the page. 30 Dec 1923 his picture appeared, accompanied by "A Page Conducted by John Steven McGroarty." Finally, 9 Jan 1927, in large caps, his page is given the title "Seen From the Green Verdugo Hills."
While he served in Congress his column was often called "Seen From the Capitol Dome." In 1923 he built "Rancho Chupa Rosa" as his private residence, on the north side of the Verdugo Hills in Tujunga, California.
By joint action of the Assembly and Senate of the State of California, he was named Poet Laureate in 1933. He regarded this as his greatest honour. The office is for life. Two poets had preceded him: Miss Ina Collbrith of San Francisco and Henry Meade Bland of San Jose.
Elected member of United States Congress (Democrat, 11th District), he served two terms, 3 Jan 1935 - 3 Jan 1939; did not stand for re-election in 1938. He went to Congress pledged to support New Deal policies, but left office a strong opponent of them. He was the champion in Congress of the Francis E Townsend old age pension plan, which would have given everyone over age 60 $200 a month provided they left the work force and spent the money they received. In 1936 he consented to have California delegates to the Democratic National Convention pledged to him for President, but Dr. Townsend opposed this move. He later introduced a "more conservative" version, limited to $100 a month, to be paid for by a two percent tax on transactions. The fight for the Townsend plan is generally agreed to have resulted in creating the Social Security program. In 1937, angered over its abuses of native Americans, McGroarty proposed abolishing the Bureau of Indian Affairs (H.J. Resolution 114, January 12, 1937). "He also spearheaded movements for the restoration of Olvera Street and the Missions, the reforestation of the San Gabriel mountains, and the construction of flood control dams throughout Los Angeles county" . In spite of his stated intention to retire from politics, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination for secretary of state of California, 1938.
Ida McGroarty, who had designed the costumes, stage settings and colour harmonies of her husband's Mission Play, and who had travelled to Spain and Old Mexico to further her studies of these matters (she was a graduate of the State College in Pennsylvania) passed away 13 May 1940, after nearly fifty years of marriage.
John Steven McGroarty was honored many times during his long life. He was especially pleased when Pope Pius XI created him a Knight of Saint George in recognition of his editorial campaigns to restore the Golden State's missionary foundations. King Alfonso XIII of Spain also cited McGroarty for that work, naming him a Commander of Isabela Catolica.
He went home to God on August 7, 1944 aged 81, in St. Vincent's Hospital, Los Angeles CA, attended by a small group of his closest relatives and friends. His funeral Mass was held at St. Vibiana's Cathedral, The Most Reverend John J. Cantwell, D.D., Archbishop of Los Angeles, presiding, eulogy by Monsignor Martin Cody Keating. Interment was in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
On his death "Rancho Chupa Rosa" went, through his will, to his niece, Miss Margaret McHale. In 1953, the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, purchased the home and 16 acres of adjoining land for only $30,000. The library was restored and dedicated on May 19, 1974, as the John Steven McGroarty Memorial Archive Library.
The home, at 7570 McGroarty Terrace, now serves the public as the McGroarty Arts Centre under the direction of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. The Cultural Heritage Commission declared it an historical monument on February 4, 1970.
Awards
Litt.D., University of California, 1925
LL.D., University of Santa Clara, 1927
Publications
Poets and Poetry of Wyoming Valley (1885)
Just California (1903) The poem was inspired by Teddy Roosevelt's visit, 9 Nov, to San Buenaventura Mission, where he said: "When I come here to California, I am not in the West - I am west of the West - it is just California." The poem appeared for many years in history textbooks of the California School System, and generations of students were required to memorize it.
Wander Songs (1908)
The King's Highway (1909)
California - Its History and Romance (1911) which went through 10 editions in 13 years.
The Mission Play (1911) a three hour pageant describing the California Missions from their founding (1769) through secularization and final ruin (1847); involving hundreds of actors, with more than two million paid admissions, the play ran for twenty years at San Gabriel, and was revived for the international exposition in San Diego in 1936. Frank Miller, founder of the Mission Inn at Riverside CA, had seen the Oberammergau Passion Play and wanted a Nativity play for Christmases at the Inn. Stanford University President David Starr Jordan proposed McGroarty as playwright and suggested a theme on California history.
La Golondria (a drama of California) (1923)
Osceola (a drama) (1927)
Babylon (drama) (1927)
"Just California" and Other Poems (1933)
California of the South: a History (1933)