 | HUDSON STRODE |
The following biographical sketch was compiled at the time of induction into the Academy in 1974.
Hudson Strode, as a teacher of creative writing at the University of Alabama, guided and
encouraged many writers whose works have gained critical acclaim. Born in Demopolis and
educated at the University of Alabama, Columbia, and Harvard, he joined the English faculty of his
alma mater becoming a full professor in 1924. For the next forty years he continued that association
teaching and encouraging aspiring authors.
As well as teaching he wrote several books on Scandinavian and Caribbean counties before turning
to biography. His best known library accomplishment is his three-volume biography of Jefferson
Davis to whom his interest was turned by a fellow writer from Norway. He also edited a volume of
letters of Jefferson Davis and two volumes of short stories.
In 1961 King Gustav VI of Sweden bestowed on Dr. Strode the Order of the North Star in
recognition of his contributions toward strengthening the cultural relations between the United
States and Sweden. Dr. Strode is now deceased.
Updated: March 14, 2007