George P. Putnam
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Born in Rye, New York he was the son of John Bishop Putnam, and the grandson of his namesake, George Palmer Putnam who was the founder of the prominent publishing firm that became G. P. Putnam's Sons. He studied at Harvard University and the University of California.
During World War I, George Putnam served with the United States Army field artillery. In 1926, under the sponsorship of the American Museum of Natural History, he led an expedition to the Arctic. The following year he headed up another expedition for the American Geographical Society to collect wildlife specimens in Baffin Island.
In 1911, he married Dorothy Binney, the daughter of Edwin Binney inventor and co-owner with cousin C. Harold Smith of Binney & Smith Inc. that made Crayola crayons. They had two sons: David Binney Putnam and George Palmer Putnam, Jr. and for a time lived in Bend, Oregon where Putnam was the publisher and editor of the local newspaper. Within a few years, the family moved back to the East Coast where George Putnam entered the family publishing business in New York City. There, he was responsible for the publication of the Charles Lindberg autobiography "We." Because of his reputation for working with Lindbergh, in 1928 he was contacted by Amy Guest, a wealthy American living in London, UK who wanted to sponsor the first-ever flight by a woman across the Atlantic Ocean. Ms. Guest asked Putnam to find a suitable candidate and he eventually came up with the til then unknown, Amelia Earhart. Following her successful exploits, Putnam organized Earhart's cross-country flight and a speaking tour. He took charge of promoting her career and arranged for endorsement contracts with a luggage manufacturer and a line of ladies' sportswear. In addition, Putnam published two books she wrote about her flying adventures.
In 1930, the various Putnam heirs voted to merge the family's publishing firm with Minton, Balch & Co. who became the majority stockholders. George P. Putnam resigned from his position as secretary of G. P. Putnam's Sons and joined New York publishers, Brewer & Warren as vice president. Having divorced in 1929, the extensive amount of time Putnam spent with Amelia Earhart resulted in an intimate relationship and in 1931 they married.
Following his wife's 1937 disappearance while attempting to set another flying record, Putnam published Earhart's biography in 1939 under the title "Soaring Wings."
With America's entry into World War II in 1941, George Putnam rejoined the active military, serving as an intelligence officer.
He died in Trona, California in 1950 and was cremated, his ashes interred in the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.
George Putnam authored a number of books, including:
- "Wide Margins" (autobiography)
- "Smiting the Rock"
- "Hot Oil"
- "In the Oregon Country"
- "Death Valley and Its Country"
- "Hickory Shirt"
- "Soaring Wings" (1939 biography of Amelia Earhart)
- "Wide Margins" (1942 autobiography)