Francis Bernard Courtney

Francis Bernard Courtney (born April 2, 1867 in Worcester , Massachusetts , † January 23, 1952 in Detroit , Michigan ) was primarily a type artist from days when fine handwriting was still essential for business life. During his life, Courtney taught at numerous colleges and assisted the judiciary as a graphologist .

biography

Francis Bernard Courtney was born on April 2, 1867 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the second child of Bernard Courtney and Nora Welsh. His father was from Ireland , his mother from Maine , both of Irish descent. Francis had six siblings, all of whom were born in Massachusetts. In 1880, his home was Holden in Worcester Country , about 40 miles west of Boston . His father worked in a wool factory and his mother owned a hostel. In 1881 his freshman year began at Holden High School .

On December 25, 1909, he married the teacher Mildred H. Smith. At the time, Francis Courtney was teaching in Cedar Rapids , Iowa , where the couple later lived. Courtney is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.

Career

At the age of 17 he developed a passion for the art of writing as a student of A. Hinman, a former student of Platt Rogers Spencer. After graduating from Hinman Business School and Spencerian Business College in Cleveland , Courtney initially worked as an accountant for two years . However, he preferred to work in a college environment. He wrote 200 pages of text, each line of which was typeface different, and sent it to business schools across the country. They noticed him and his reputation as The Pen Wizard grew. Courtney has taught at numerous colleges: Hinman's College, Worcester, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine Business College; Lincoln, Nebraska Business College; Spaulding's Commercial College, Kansas City, Missouri; McDonald Business College, Des Moines, Iowa; Caton's Commercial College, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Wood's School of Business, New York; Cedar Rapids Business College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Toland's Business University. He has been a permanent contributor to Penman's Art Journal, American penman, and Business Educator. In parallel to his teaching activities, he worked as a graphologist for forensics .

Fonts

• Francis B. Courtney's method of detecting forgery and raised checks: for bank cashiers and their training as handwriting experts . 1906.
• Courtney's Modern Method of Rapid Writing . 1911.

literature

• The type of writing, reduced to a plain and easy system . 1813.
• Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship . 1867.
• Gaskell's complete compendium of elegant writing . 1879.
• The penman's hand-book . 1883.
• Palmer's guide to business writing . 1894.
• The New Education in Penmanship . 1898.
• Tamara Plakins Thornton: Handwriting in America - A Cultural History . New Haven: Yale Univ. Press 1996.
• William E. Henning: An Elegant Hand: The Golden Age of American Penmanship and Calligraphy . New Castle, Del .: Oak Knoll Press 2002.

Web links

• Handwriting in America
• Golden Age of Ornamental Penmanship in America, video
• Handwriting in America
• Francis B. Courtney's Lessons in Dashy Writing

Individual evidence

1. ^ Find a Grave: Francis B. Courtney
2. ↑ Short biography (English)