Age, Biography and Wiki

Willard R. Espy (Willard Richardson Espy) was born on 11 December, 1910 in Olympia, Washington, U.S., is an American writer (1910–1999). Discover Willard R. Espy's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 88 years old?

Popular As Willard Richardson Espy
Occupation Writer · poet · philologist
Age 88 years old
Zodiac Sign Sagittarius
Born 11 December, 1910
Birthday 11 December
Birthplace Olympia, Washington, U.S.
Date of death 20 February, 1999
Died Place New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 11 December. He is a member of famous writer with the age 88 years old group.

Willard R. Espy Height, Weight & Measurements

At 88 years old, Willard R. Espy height not available right now. We will update Willard R. Espy's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
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Who Is Willard R. Espy's Wife?

His wife is Hilda Cole (m. 1940) Louise Manheim (m. 1962)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Hilda Cole (m. 1940) Louise Manheim (m. 1962)
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Willard R. Espy Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Willard R. Espy worth at the age of 88 years old? Willard R. Espy’s income source is mostly from being a successful writer. He is from United States. We have estimated Willard R. Espy's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income writer

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Timeline

1854

He and his siblings were raised in the coastal village of Oysterville, Washington, which had been founded in 1854 by his grandfather, R. H. Espy, a settler who arrived in Oregon Territory via The Oregon Trail.

1910

Willard Richardson Espy (December 11, 1910February 20, 1999) was an American editor, philologist, writer, poet, and local historian.

Raised in the seaside village of Oysterville, Washington, Espy later studied at the University of Redlands in California before becoming an editor in New York City, as well as a contributor to Reader's Digest, The New Yorker, Punch, and other publications.

Espy was born in Olympia, Washington in 1910, the sixth of seven children, to Harry Albert Espy (1876–1959) and Helen Medora Espy ( Richardson; 1878–1954).

His father, a one-time Washington state senator, was of Scots-Irish descent.

His mother was from San Francisco, the daughter of a local preacher.

1930

Espy graduated from the University of Redlands in 1930 with a B.A. after which he spent a year abroad, enrolling at the Sorbonne in Paris, planning to study philosophy.

1932

He returned to the United States in 1932, working as a newspaper editor in California, later moving to New York City where he was eventually hired by Reader's Digest in 1941.

Espy spent next sixteen years working for Reader's Digest in various positions, including as promotion director.

1960

In the 1960s, he began publishing books on philology as well collections of poetry collections, and became the best-known collector of and commentator on word play of his time.

Espy's writing career took off in the late 1960s; he eventually authored fifteen books on language, and his poetry and articles regularly appeared in Punch, Reader's Digest, The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, and Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics.

Espy earned praise from contemporary critics such as Louis Untermeyer and John Chancellor.

Summarizing Espy's writing, critic Alistair Cooke wrote:

"To Willard Espy the English language is what a football is to Joe Namath, a golf ball to Arnold Palmer, the male of the species to Zsa Zsa Gabor: a wonderful object to manipulate, to flog, to coax and have a barrel of fun with."

1977

In 1977, he published the national bestseller Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa's Village, a semi-autobiographical novel about his familial heritage in the Oysterville community.

Later in life, Espy divided his time between Manhattan and his home in Oysterville, and wrote nationally bestselling books on local history, including Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa's Village (1977) and Skulduggery on Shoalwater Bay (1998).

Two of his books on wordplay, The Game of Words and An Almanac of Words at Play, were honored at the Governor's Writers Day Awards (now the Washington State Book Awards),

and the latter was a national bestseller.

He was also a contributing writer for The New Yorker and other publications.

1998

The Espy Foundation was established in 1998; the non-profit foundation, based out of Espy's home in Oysterville, Washington, served as a retreat space for artists and writers in the Pacific Northwest.

1999

Espy died at New York Hospital in Manhattan in 1999, and was interred at Oysterville Cemetery.

Espy died aged 88 at New York Hospital in Manhattan on February 20, 1999.

He is interred in a family plot in Oysterville Cemetery.

2010

In December 2010, the foundation officially closed.

Espy's light verse has been compared to that of Lewis Carroll, W. S. Gilbert, Ogden Nash and Cole Porter.

2011

His second wife Louise, a native of New York, died in November 2011, and was interred beside him.