John S. Monagan - Anthony Powell Collection 2

Anthony Dymoke Powell was born on December 21, 1905, in London, England. His father, Philip Lionel William Powell was an army officer, and his mother was Maud Mary Wells-Dymoke. Powell was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned his B.A., 1926; and M.A., 1944. His academic honors include a D.Litt. from the universities of Sussex (1971), Kent and Leceister (1976), Oxford (1980), and Bristol (1982). Powell's career as a writer was launched in 1931 with the publication of his first novel, Afternoon Men. His publisher was Duckworth and Co. Ltd., with whom he was affiliated from 1926 to 1935. In 1936, Powell was a scriptwriter for Warner Brothers of Great Britain. During World War II, Powell served in the Welch Regiment infantry from 1939 to 1941; the Intelligence Corps, from 1941-1945; and as liaison officer at the British War Office. His military honors include ranking as a major, receiving the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia), the Order of Leopold II (Belgium), and the Oaken Crown and Croix de Guerre (Luxembourg).

As a man of letters Powell was also an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and of the Modern Language Society. He was a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, London (1962-76), and a member of the London Travellers' Club. Other outstanding awards and honors conferred on Powell include, Commander of Order of the British Empire (1956); Companion of Honor (1988); the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1958) for At Lady Molly's; the W.H. Smith Fiction Award (1974) for Temporary Kings; the Bennett Award for the Hudson Review; and the T.S. Eliot Award from the Ingersoll Foundation (1984) both for body of work. Powell is duly famous for his series of novels under the overall title, A Dance to the Music of Time (first British publication from 1951-1975). His other long work consists of memoirs entitled, To Keep the Ball Rolling: the Memoirs of Anthony Powell (first British publication 1976-1982) and Journals (1995). For a complete listing of Powell's works refer to Anthony Powell: A Bibliography by George Lilley (1993). Anthony Powell and Lady Violet Pakenham were married on December 1, 1934. Born March 13, 1912, she was the daughter of the fifth Earl of Longford. They had two sons, Tristram and John. The family resided at their Somerset home, the Chantry. Anthony Powell died on March 28, 2000. Violet Powell died January 12, 2002. [Biographical Source: Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Volume 32.]

John Stephen Monagan was born December 23, 1911, in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut. He received his early education at Driggs, St. Mary's and Crosby high schools in Waterbury. He received his Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1933, and later attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1937. In 1938 he was admitted to the Connecticut bar and commenced the practice of law in his home town of Waterbury the same year. Mr. Monagan has held numerous significant commercial and political positions including president of the Waterbury Board of Aldermen, 1940 to 1943; mayor of Waterbury, 1943 to 1948; member of the board of directors of the Waterbury Savings Bank; delegate at the Democratic National Conventions, 1944, 1948, 1960, 1964, and 1968. He was for many years a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives (D-Conn.) and was elected to the Eighty-sixth and to the six succeeding congresses (January 3, 1959 to January 3, 1973). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1972 to the Ninety-third Congress, and resumed the practice of law. An accomplished writer, Mr. Monagan also has several published works to his name, including Behind the Iron Curtain and in Selected Countries of Western Europe (U.S. Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1963); Horace: Priest of the Poor (1985); The Grand Panjandrum: Mellow Year of Justice Holmes (1988); From Green Road to Cracker Hill, Waterbury Memories with John Monagan (videotaped lecture given in Waterbury, Connecticut, 1991); One Man's View of Bauby's Corner (1994); and The Master and the Congressman (2003). John Monagan died October 23, 2005. He and his wife, Rosemary Brady Monagan, had five children.