“Before ‘John Phoenix’ there was scarcely any American humorist--not of
the distinctly literary sort--with whom one could smile and keep one’s
self respect,” says William Dean Howells, the novelist, in a recent
magazine article. This may indeed be true, but there were others in the
time of George H. Derby, better known by his _nom de plume_ of John
Phoenix, who were of the same school of humorists, yet they were far
inferior as wits. Derby, had he lived, would have become perhaps one of
the leading humorists of the country. As it was, he was known to the
public as a humorous writer for only a few years before his death.
George H. Derby was born of poor but well educated parents in Norfolk
county, Massachusetts, in 1823. Little is known of his boyhood or early
life. He entered the West Point military academy while yet a youth,
and graduated from that institution in 1846. The same year he became
engaged in the war with Mexico and continued in the field during the
larger part of the year following. He was present at the battle of
Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo, and was made brevet first lieutenant at the
former place. He received a severe wound during the latter engagement.
He remained with the regular army at the close of the war, and was
sent upon various surveys and expeditions from 1847 to 1852. During
the two years following the last named date, Derby was engaged on the
improvement of San Diego, California, harbor, and the next year he was
on the staff of the commanding general and had charge of the military
roads, department of the Pacific. In 1856 he was on the coast survey,
and in the two years following was light-house engineer.
While sojourning on the Pacific coast Derby first began writing for the
San Francisco papers and magazines. His contributions consisted mainly
of humorous sketches written under the signature of John Phoenix. These
sketches attracted general attention among the Pacific States, and in
1855 were published in book form under the title of Phoenixiana, or
Sketches and Burlesques. The book was well received, and ten or twelve
editions were exhausted. Four years later a second volume was issued
under the title of Squibob Papers. This volume also met with a large
and ready sale. Early in 1861 Derby took up his residence in New York,
and produced a number of humorous sketches which were never published
in book form. He died suddenly on the 15th of May, 1861, at the age of
thirty-eight. Although young in years and not having reached the acme
of his fame, his work still lives and is recognized as one of the most
prominent species of American humor.
Derby’s humor is something like that of Artemus Ward, yet it is
peculiarly original and is vastly different from the writings of the
so-called funny men of the present day. Among the many good things from
Derby’s pen are the following: