FAMOUS – BUT NO CHILDREN FAMOUS – BUT NO CHILDREN J O RABER Algora Publishing New York © 2014 by Algora Publishing. All Rights Reserved www.algora.com No portion of this book (beyond what is permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976) may be reproduced by any process, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data — Raber, J. O. Famous, but no children / J.O. Raber. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-62894-042-8 (soft cover: alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-62894-043- 5 (hard cover: alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-62894-044-2 (e) 1. Childfree choice. 2. Men. 3. Women. I. Title. HQ734.R117 2014 306.87—dc23 2014001045 Printed in the United States TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Author’s note 4 CHAPTER 1. TO BEAR OR NOT TO BEAR: THAT IS THE QUESTION 5 CHAPTER 2. DON’T THEY LIKE CHILDREN? 13 The Ann Landers Survey 18 If You Had It To Do Over Again—Would You Have Children? 18 CHAPTER 3. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 25 CHAPTER 4. THE PROCREATION – I.Q. CONNECTION 33 CHAPTER 5. CHILD-FREE AND THE PROFESSIONS 37 Actors/Actresses: 38 Adventurers (explorers, daring risk takers) who did not sire/bear children 39 Architects who did not sire/bear children 40 Artists who did not sire/bear children 40 Cartoonists who did not sire/bear children 42 Champion Athletes who did not sire/bear children 42 Comedians who did not sire/bear children 44 ix Famous — But No Children Dancers/Choreographers who did not sire/bear children 44 Fashion Designers who did not sire/bear children 46 Film makers/directors who did not sire/bear children 46 Food-related personalities who did not sire/bear children 46 Founders who did not sire/bear children 46 Historians who did not sire/bear children 47 Inventors who did not sire/bear children 47 Journalists, news reporters, editors who did not sire/bear children 48 Judges who did not sire/bear children 49 Lyricists who did not sire/bear children 49 Mathematicians who did not sire/bear children 49 Music, classical musicians who did not sire/bear children 50 Music, composers who did not sire/bear children 50 Music, conductors who did not sire/bear children 53 Music, opera singers who did not sire/bear children 53 Music: Popular singers/musicians who did not sire/bear children 55 Nobel Prize winners who did not sire/bear children 56 Notable educators who did not sire/bear children 59 Philanthropists who did not sire/bear children 59 Philosophers who did not sire/bear children 60 Pioneering physicians who did not sire/bear children 60 Political and world leaders who did not sire/bear children 61 Scientists who did not sire/bear children 61 Social reformers who did not sire/bear children 62 Talk show hosts who did not sire/bear children 63 Writers who did not sire/bear children 64 Miscellaneous categories of notable people who did not sire/bear children 66 Centenarians/Super centenarians who did not bear/sire children 67 CHAPTER 6. THE FAMOUS CHILD-FREE: THEIR REASONS FOR NOT HAVING CHILDREN 71 Reasons famous people have chosen not to have children 72 x Table of Contents CHAPTER 7. MORAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR NOT HAVING CHILDREN 87 CHAPTER 8. A RIGHT NOT TO BE BORN 97 CHAPTER 9. WORLD KARMA 107 APPENDIX 117 Table 1: Famous Women Who Didn’t Have Children 117 Table 2: Famous Men Who Didn’t Have Children 149 BIBLIOGRAPHY 191 Books 191 Biographical Collections 193 Reference Books 195 Online Resources 198 xi INTRODUCTION Why write a book about famous people who did not have chil- dren? First, this book is not anti-children; though it is about the travesty of children being born to irresponsible parents, and the negative impact irresponsible parenthood has had on the world. It is also about people who have made an important difference be- cause they were more oriented toward making that difference than toward living the conventional life of rearing children. This is not to say that people with children have never made a difference; howev- er, the accomplishments of many of history’s great men and women were often the consequence of their non-conventionality and their non-procreation. And true greatness should not be confused with fame. Every generation has its famous individuals, but relatively few of these famous folks make an indelible difference, though fame is much broader today than in past eras predating mass media. Radio, televi- sion, motion pictures and the internet can give contemporary celeb- rities instant national or even international recognition; however, many people blessed with fame and fortune have pursued hedonis- tic lifestyles with no higher social consciousness than the rest of 1 Famous — But No Children humanity. Fame and fortune should carry with it the responsibility of uplifting the human spirit. Also, for nearly every contemporary celebrity, there are many other individuals who might do as well if given the chance. Con- temporary celebrities, more often than not, are annuals that quickly fade after their season in the sun; and then the sun shines on a new field of celebrities. The overwhelming majority of men and women included in this work are perennials. Nor did all of these ‘perenni- als’ gain fame as we know it today. Just as fame is not always ac- companied by true greatness, true greatness is not always accom- panied by fame. As an example: Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who helped hundreds of others find their way to freedom via the under- ground railroad, as it became known. Hers is not a name that most folks recognize, but her deeds certainly deserve recognition. Each time she brought people across to freedom, she put her own life on the line. Harriet had no children. Would she have put her own life repeatedly in harm’s way if she had had children to rear? Would you? Nellie Bly is another remarkable woman whose name is prob- ably not on the tip of everyone’s tongue today. Yet she virtually in- vented undercover investigative reporting, going undercover as an inmate in an insane asylum to expose atrocities there. Her courage was boundless. And she was always up to a challenge. She circum- vented the globe in some seventy-two days and six hours. Until then, Around the World in 80 Days was only a fiction. Motherhood would have rendered such an exciting career nearly impossible. And she opened the doors for women reporters, who up ‘til then just did fashion news and domestic columns. Nor are the names of Maria Gaetana d’Agnesi and Maria Teresa d’Agnesi likely to come to mind in naming women of accomplish- ment. The former was a brilliant mathematician of significant im- portance in her day. She authored the book, Analytical Institutions, which was well received: most remarkable coming from a woman of her time. Her sister, Maria Teresa d’Agnesi, was a composer, libret- 2 Introduction tist, harpsichordist and singer. They lived out their lives in eigh- teenth century Milan, Italy, and never had children. Does the name William Tutte ring a bell? Probably not, but he was a British mathematician and cryptographer who helped crack the German code in World War II. He did not have children, nor did Hermann Gmeiner, who, following World War II, founded the SOS Children’s Villages for war orphans. This developed into an international organization for placing orphaned and abandoned children in ‘villages’ with eight to ten children to a house; and to each house was assigned a foster mother. Gmeiner asked these fos- ter mothers not to marry lest their commitment become divided. In turn, he remained unmarried.1 Relatively few names are ‘household names’ that everyone has heard of, but a far greater number of people are well-known and important within their respective spheres. For instance, how many of the world’s great philosophers or physicists can you name? And if your interest is opera, you might not be able to rattle off the names of many major league baseball players; but if your interest is base- ball, you might not be able to name that many celebrated opera singers. And how many singers can name the man who invented the microphone? He had no children, nor did the inventors of the cable car, the Ferris wheel, or the popular Scrabble game. Chances are, you’ve used one or more of these inventions but without knowing anything of their inventors. Thus, fame has its degrees. This work includes lists of hundreds of history’s famous child- free folks, at least famous within their respective professions. As you move your eyes through these names of men and women who did not sire or bear children, take time to notice the diversity rep- resented here: the vast number of professions, the incredible ac- complishments, the daring achievements, the marks these men and women left on history. While it is certainly the case that many of the world’s great achievers had children, what is truly noteworthy is how many of them did not. 1 Time Magazine, Dec. 29, 1975, p.7, Saints Among Us: The Work of Mother Teresa, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945463-7,00.html 3 Famous — But No Children This book is not intended to ‘flame’ parents, but to examine some of the philosophical arguments that have been put forth on the child-free issue.