- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMary Jessamyn West
- Jessamyn West was born on July 18, 1902 in Vernon, Indiana, USA. She was a writer, known for The Big Country (1958), Friendly Persuasion (1956) and Stolen Hours (1963). She was married to Harry Maxwell McPherson. She died on February 22, 1984 in Napa, California, USA.
- SpouseHarry Maxwell McPherson(1923 - 1984) (her death, 1 child)
- Second cousin of President Richard M. Nixon. The character of Jess Birdwell in Friendly Persuasion (1956) (played by Gary Cooper ) was based on their great grandfather.
- Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 864-865. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
- A rattlesnake that doesn't bite teaches you nothing.
- Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.
- On truth: We want the facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don't, it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions.
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