Robert E. Gonzales

Robert Elliott Gonzales
Gonzales in 1908, during his tenure as president of the Clariosophic Society
BornApril 18, 1888
Columbia, South Carolina, US
DiedDecember 19, 1916
El Paso, Texas, US
Other names"Colonel Aftermath"
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina
Occupations
  • Poet
  • Journalist
Years active1904–1916
Notable workPoems And Paragraphs
Relatives
  • Ambrosio Elliott Gonzales (uncle)
  • Ambrosio José Gonzales (grandfather)
  • Alida Ruffini Gonzales McMaster (sister)
Signature

Robert Elliott Gonzales (April 18, 1888 – December 19, 1916) was an American poet and journalist. He was the founding editor of The Gamecock (later renamed The Daily Gamecock) and had a brief but distinguished career at The State.

Biography

Gonzales was the son of American diplomat William Elliott Gonzales and Sarah Cecil Shiver Gonzales.[1]

As a child, he was a choir boy at Trinity Church, Columbia.[1]

Education

Gonzales first attended a private school taught by Ellen C. Janney, who later recalled that "[h]e was a very bright boy."[2] As a teenager, he attended William H. Verner's preparatory school. Classmate and fellow journalist W.J. Cormack later wrote, "I remember the reserved youth [Gonzales] at William H. Verner's school, who, even at that time—in his early 'teens—gave promise of great ability."[3]

The State described Gonzales as "diffident but cordial" with "hosts of devoted friends."[1]

Gonzales spent a year at The Citadel before transferring to the University of South Carolina.[1]

The Clariosophic Society

During Gonzales's time at USC, he was an active member of The Clariosophic Society, an all-male literary society. Over the years, he held various positions in the society; in 1908, he served as the president.[4]

The Gamecock

In 1908, Gonzales founded The Gamecock student newspaper and began his tenure as its first editor-in-chief. In its first issue, published January 30 of that, he included an editorial describing his vision for the paper:

There is nothing so conducive to the fostering of friendliness as common ownership of common property; in that respect, at least, THE GAMECOCK will be useful. It will bring professor and student in closer touch; it will promote better feeling between the Normal, Academic and Law schools—which, in passing, is sadly needed—and it will cause everybody to realize more fully what University life should mean.[5]

He graduated with a bachelor's and a master's degree in 1910.[6] In 1911, he was secretary of the Board of Visitors to the university.[7]

Journalism career at The State

Gonzales joined The State in the summer of 1911 as a "paragrapher and editorial writer."[1] He grew renowned for his "Colonel Aftermath" columns and "The State's Survey" (a column devoted to witty paragraphs) which he edited.[8][9]

Military service

In June 1916, Gonzales enlisted as a private in the Second South Carolina infantry; in August he was promoted to sergeant in the machine gun company.[1] The State reported that he had "the affection and respect of his comrades in the military service." Colonel Holmes B. Springs gave Gonzales the honorary title of "regimental historian."[10]

Death

On December 19, 1916, Gonzales died abruptly after a short battle with pneumonia.[1] Gonzales's funeral service was hold on December 26 at Trinity Church, Columbia; he was buried in Elmwood Cemetery.[11]

Legacy

In late December 1916, mere days after Gonzales's death, The State was flooded with condolences and tributes from friends and admirers across the country.

In 1918, The State Company published Poems And Paragraphs, a posthumous collection of Gonzales's poetry and newspaper stories which also included many of the previously published tributes as well as an introduction written by Gonzales's uncle Ambrose Elliott Gonzales.[12]

The February 5, 1932 issue of The Gamecock (the first issue of its 25th year) featured a column about Gonzales' storied career.[13] In that same issue, his name was added to the masthead—Gonzales's mother wrote a letter-to-the-editor thanking The Gamecock for the gesture.[14][15]

Family

Robert's paternal grandfather was Ambrosio José Gonzales, a Cuban revolutionary general and later a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.[1] His paternal uncles Ambrose Elliott Gonzales and Narciso Gener Gonzales founded The State in 1891.

Selected Quotes

  • "Where there's a will, there's a lawyer."[16]
  • "It seems paradoxical, but a blunt man usually comes to the point.[17]
  • "A whole lot of self-made men certainly are bum architects."[18]
  • "When money talks, nobody cares what kind of grammar it uses."[19]
  • "A man who is as honest as the day is long may need watching at night."[20]
  • "An honest man may be the noblest work of God, but a pretty girl is a mighty close second."[21]
  • "As we understand it, the surest way to make a living by the pen is to raise pigs."[22]

Bibliography

Books

  • Poems And Paragraphs (The State Company, 1918)

Selected poems

  • "The Haunts of Ashur"
  • "Love's Return"
  • "Mnemosyne"
  • "A Vision of Atlantis"
  • "April"
  • "Avalon"
  • "Calydon"
  • "The Dance of the Fairies"
  • "Diana's Beams"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "ROBERT E. GONZALES DIES OF PNEUMONIA". The State. December 21, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  2. ^ "Sergeant Gonzales Dies On Mexican Line". The Columbia Record. December 20, 1916. p. 9. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Cormack, W.J. (December 25, 1916). "Newspaper Man Recalls Robert Gonzales' Work at Verner's Preparatory School". The State. p. 3. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  4. ^ "Robert E. Gonzales". Garnet and Black: 29. 1909.
  5. ^ Gonzales, Robert E. (January 30, 1908). "Editorial". The Gamecock. p. 2. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  6. ^ "Robert Elliott Gonzales, B.A., M.A., Columbia, S.C." The Garnet and Black. 12: 27. 1910.
  7. ^ "Board of Visitors to the University". The Garnet and Black: 173. 1911.
  8. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 225.
  9. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 237.
  10. ^ "Sergeant Gonzales and His Mascot". The State. July 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Robert Elliott Gonzales Rests With His Fathers". The Columbia Record. December 26, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  12. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company.
  13. ^ Giles, John A. (February 5, 1932). "First Gamecock Head Had Brilliant Career". The Gamecock. p. 2. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Gamecock". February 5, 1932. p. 4. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  15. ^ Gonzales, Mrs. William Elliott (February 5, 1932). "Grateful Mother Writes To Staff". The Gamecock. p. 3. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  16. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 172.
  17. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 221.
  18. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 218.
  19. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 214.
  20. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 156.
  21. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 161.
  22. ^ Gonzales, Robert Elliott (1918). Poems And Paragraphs. Columbia, SC: The State Company. p. 191.
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