Lowell Thomas

Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29,1981) was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveller best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous. So varied were Thomas's activities that when it came time for the Library of Congress to catalog his memoirs they were forced to put them in "CT" in their classification--biographies of subjects who don't fit into any other category.

Early career

A relentless self-promoter, he persuaded railroads to give him free passage on their roads in exchange for articles extolling rail travel. When he visited Alaska he hit upon the novel idea of the travelogue--movies about far-away places. When the United States entered World War I, he was part of an official party sent by President Wilson--the former president of Princeton--to "compile a history of the conflict". In reality the mission was not academic. The war was not popular in the United States and Thomas was sent to find material that would encourage the American people to support the war. Thomas did not just want to write about the war, he wanted to film it. He estimated $75,000 was needed for filming which the US government thought was too expensive, and so he turned to a group of 18 Chicago meat-packers. (He had done them a favor by exposing someone who was blackmailing them without the damaging material becoming public.)

Related Topics:
Railroads - Alaska - Travelogue - World War I - Wilson

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