Harry M. Caudill
- November 29, 1990
- 68 years
- suicide by gunshot
About Harry M. Caudill
Harry M. Caudill, 68, American author, suicide by gunshot.
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Full Biography
|Harry Monroe Caudill (May 3, 1922 – November 29, 1990) was an American author, historian, lawyer, legislator, and environmentalist from Whitesburg, Kentucky, in the Central Appalachian coalfield.
Biography
Caudill served in World War II as a private in the U.S. Army and was a 1948 graduate of the University of Kentucky law school. He was elected as a Democrat to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1953, 1955, and 1959 to represent Letcher County. He taught in the History Department at the university from 1976 to 1984, and was named to UK's Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1980.
A common theme explored in many of Caudill's writings is the historic underdevelopment of Appalachia, particularly his home area of southeastern Kentucky. In several of his books (most prominently Night Comes to the Cumberlands, 1962) and many of his published articles, he probes the historical poverty of the region, which he attributes in large part to the rapacious policies of the coal mining industries in the region, as well as their backers: politicians of Kentucky and bankers of the northeastern United States. He notes that the owners and financiers of the industry had their headquarters not in Appalachia but in the Northeast or Midwest, and argued that they failed to properly reinvest their sizable profits in the Appalachian region. Following publication of Night Comes to the Cumberlands, President John F. Kennedy appointed a commission to investigate conditions in the region and subsequently the federal government invested more than $15 billion in the region over the first 25 years of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Caudill became an active opponent of the rapidly growing practice of strip mining in Appalachia, which he believed was causing irreparable harm to the land and its people. He published articles in many magazines in addition to speaking out about the subject. Caudill pointed out that strip mining could be done responsibly as in England, Germany, and Czechoslovakia where topsoil, subsoil, and rocks are removed separately and placed back in layers in their original order. His efforts contributed to passage of the first federal strip-mine law in 1977.
He became interested in the work of William Shockley, a Stanford University scientist with controversial eugenicist stances. Caudill came to believe in Shockley's theory of "dysgenics," the argument that unintelligent people weaken the genes of a "race" over time. He felt that "genetic decline" in Eastern Kentucky contributed to issues of poverty. "The slobs continue to multiply," Caudill wrote in a 1975 letter to Time magazine. The editors of Time rejected Caudill's letter.
Caudill also produced several volumes of folklore and oral history, which he collected himself from residents of southeastern Kentucky. One of those oral history interviews in 1941 of a man who would have been about 90 years old, was the basis for the 1995 movie, Pharaoh's Army, starring Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, and Kris Kristofferson.
Faced with an advancing case of Parkinson's disease in 1990, Caudill killed himself with a gunshot to the head in the yard of his home, facing the mountains he wrote about. He is buried in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana, Kentucky.
Legacy
The Harry M. Caudill Library located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, the main library of the Letcher County Public Library District, is named for Caudill.
Quote
"And we just can't afford to sit back and watch all that (land) be destroyed so a few people can get rich now. One of these days the dear old federal government is going to have to come in and spend billions of dollars just to repair the damage that's already been done. And guess who will have the machines and the workmen to do the job? The same coal operators who made the mess in the first place will be hired to fix it back, and the taxpayers will bear the cost."
Books by Harry M. Caudill
- Night Comes to the Cumberlands: A Biography of a Depressed Area (1962; Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1963). ISBN 0-316-13212-8.
- My Land Is Dying (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1973). ISBN 0-525-47302-5.
- The Watches of the Night (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1976). ISBN 0-316-13218-7.
- A Darkness at Dawn: Appalachian Kentucky and the Future (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1976). ISBN 0-8131-0218-9.
- Dark Hills to Westward: The Saga of Jenny Wiley (1969; Ashland, KY: Jesse Stuart Foundation, 1994). ISBN 978-0-945084-45-7.
- The Senator from Slaughter County (1973; Ashland, KY: Jesse Stuart Foundation, 1997). ISBN 978-0-945084-66-2.
- The Mountain, the Miner, and the Lord and Other Tales from a Country Law Office (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1980).
- Slender is the Thread: Tales from a Country Law Office (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1987).
- Appalachian Wilderness: The Great Smoky Mountains (Epilogue written by Caudill; co-authored by Eliot Porter and Edward Abbey) (New York: Dutton, 1970) ISBN 978-0-525-05685-0.
- Theirs Be the Power: The Moguls of Kentucky (Campaign, IL:University of Illinois Press, 1983) ISBN 0-252-01029-9
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_M._Caudill
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Harry M. Caudill's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the date of birth of Harry Monroe Caudill?
- A.April 15, 1925
- B.June 12, 1920
- C.May 3, 1922correct
- D.March 20, 1922
Harry Monroe Caudill was born on May 3, 1922.
Source: Biography introduction
2.Which university did Harry Monroe Caudill graduate from in 1948?
- A.University of Kentuckycorrect
- B.Stanford University
- C.University of Illinois
- D.University of Louisville
Harry Monroe Caudill was a 1948 graduate of the University of Kentucky law school.
Source: Biography section
3.What public office did Harry Monroe Caudill hold starting in 1953?
- A.Governor of Kentucky
- B.U.S. Senator
- C.Mayor of Whitesburg
- D.Kentucky House of Representativescorrect
Harry Monroe Caudill was elected as a Democrat to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1953, 1955, and 1959.
Source: Biography section
4.What was the title of Harry Monroe Caudill's 1962 book that explored Appalachian poverty?
- A.The Senator from Slaughter County
- B.The Watches of the Night
- C.My Land Is Dying
- D.Night Comes to the Cumberlandscorrect
Harry Monroe Caudill's most prominent book on the historical poverty of the region is Night Comes to the Cumberlands, published in 1962.
Source: Biography section
5.Harry Monroe Caudill attributed regional poverty to the policies of coal mining industries and which other group?
- A.Politicians of Kentucky and bankers of the northeastern United Statescorrect
- B.Local farmers
- C.University of Kentucky faculty
- D.Environmental activists
Caudill argued that poverty was caused by coal mining industries, politicians of Kentucky, and bankers of the northeastern United States.
Source: Biography section
6.Which U.S. President appointed a commission to investigate Appalachian conditions after Harry Monroe Caudill's writing?
- A.John F. Kennedycorrect
- B.Dwight D. Eisenhower
- C.Lyndon B. Johnson
- D.Richard Nixon
Following the publication of Night Comes to the Cumberlands, President John F. Kennedy appointed a commission to investigate regional conditions.
Source: Biography section
7.What environmental practice did Harry Monroe Caudill actively oppose?
- A.Strip miningcorrect
- B.Logging
- C.Oil drilling
- D.Deep shaft mining
Caudill became an active opponent of the rapidly growing practice of strip mining in Appalachia.
Source: Biography section
8.In which countries did Harry Monroe Caudill observe responsible strip mining practices?
- A.France, Spain, and Italy
- B.England, Germany, and Czechoslovakiacorrect
- C.Canada, Norway, and Sweden
- D.Australia, New Zealand, and Japan
Caudill pointed out that strip mining could be done responsibly as in England, Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Source: Biography section
9.Harry Monroe Caudill was interested in the theories of which Stanford scientist?
- A.Linus Pauling
- B.William Shockleycorrect
- C.B.F. Skinner
- D.Carl Sagan
Harry Monroe Caudill became interested in the work of William Shockley, a Stanford University scientist.
Source: Biography section
10.What term did Harry Monroe Caudill use for the theory that unintelligent people weaken a 'race'?
- A.Dysgenicscorrect
- B.Social Darwinism
- C.Genocide
- D.Eugenics
Caudill came to believe in William Shockley's theory of 'dysgenics,' the argument that unintelligent people weaken the genes of a 'race' over time.
Source: Biography section
11.To which publication did Harry Monroe Caudill send a letter in 1975 that was ultimately rejected?
- A.Time magazinecorrect
- B.The Atlantic
- C.The Washington Post
- D.The New York Times
The editors of Time rejected a 1975 letter written by Harry Monroe Caudill.
Source: Biography section
12.An oral history collected by Harry Monroe Caudill in 1941 was the basis for which film?
- A.Coal Miner's Daughter
- B.Matewan
- C.The River
- D.Pharaoh's Armycorrect
One of the oral history interviews conducted by Caudill in 1941 was the basis for the 1995 movie, Pharaoh's Army.
Source: Biography section
13.What health condition did Harry Monroe Caudill face in 1990?
- A.Parkinson's diseasecorrect
- B.Cancer
- C.Multiple sclerosis
- D.Alzheimer's disease
Faced with an advancing case of Parkinson's disease in 1990, Caudill took his own life.
Source: Biography section
14.Where is Harry Monroe Caudill buried?
- A.Whitesburg Cemetery
- B.Lexington Cemetery
- C.Cumberlands Memorial Park
- D.Battle Grove Cemeterycorrect
Harry Monroe Caudill is buried in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana, Kentucky.
Source: Biography section
15.What is the name of the main library in the Letcher County Public Library District?
- A.The Harry M. Caudill Librarycorrect
- B.The Appalachian History Library
- C.The Whitesburg Public Library
- D.The Cumberlands Heritage Library
The Harry M. Caudill Library located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, is the main library of the Letcher County Public Library District.
Source: Legacy section
16.Which of these books was co-authored by Harry Monroe Caudill?
- A.My Land Is Dying
- B.Dark Hills to Westward
- C.The Senator from Slaughter County
- D.Appalachian Wilderness: The Great Smoky Mountainscorrect
Appalachian Wilderness: The Great Smoky Mountains was co-authored by Harry Monroe Caudill, Eliot Porter, and Edward Abbey.
Source: Books by Harry M. Caudill section
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