Reed Edwin Peggram

Reed Edwin Peggram, also known as Edwin Reed (26 July 1914- 20 April 1982) was an American scholar, translator, and teacher of linguistics, and was also known for his survival of Nazi imprisonment during World War II. He was born and raised in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts and died there at the age of 67.

Education

Although neither of his parents graduated from college, Peggram was a successful scholar. He first attended Public Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts from 1927 to 1931, where his main interests were in literature, languages, and dramatics. During his time in school, he also enjoyed participating in track, Dramatic Club, and tutoring French and Latin. He also received the Exemplary Conduct and Fidelity Award, Conduct Above Criticism Award, and Perfection in Attendance Award in school. Overall, his interest in the romance languages inspired him to pursue a teaching career.

Even though Peggram was often limited financially, he received money from the Veterans Aid program throughout his childhood. Fortunately, his grandmother saved most of this money to fund Peggram's university education, allowing him to attend Harvard University from 1931 to 1935. After his undergraduate education, Peggram received his master's degree in comparative literature from Harvard in 1936, He then continued his graduate studies as a Graduate Residence Fellow in comparative literature at Columbia University from 1936 to 1937 and returned to Harvard from 1937 to 1938 to pursue his PhD in comparative literature.

Before completing his doctoral work, Peggram received the John Harvard Fellowship (1938) and the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship (1938) to study abroad at the University of Paris in France. Here, he met Gerdh Hauptmann of Copenhagen, Denmark,

Then, with the German occupation of Denmark during WWII, Peggram and Hauptmann had to flee to France However, the two were captured in 1941 by Nazis and imprisoned in the Bagni Di Lucca concentration camp near Pistoia, Italy. During this time, Peggram had the chance to return to the United States, and Hauptmann was offered work under German occupation. Yet, both men denied these opportunities for freedom, as they were not willing to separate from one another. Thus, they were sentenced to death and claimed as prisoners. The pair spent two years in German and Italian concentration camps, during which military personnel confiscated their documentation papers. Eventually, both Peggram and Hauptmann escaped prison, facing harsh conditions and machine gun fire along their journey. The pair finally found safety with the 92nd Infantry Division in Italy. Unfortunately, because neither of them had their identification documents, Peggram and Hauptmann were still unable to return to the U.S. at this time. Moreover, their time in Nazi imprisonment left both men to suffer from nervous breakdowns and mental health problems.

After seven years abroad, Peggram travelled back to the United States to work as a translator and a teacher. Living in his home town of Dorchester in Boston, Massachusetts, he spent his time working, expanding his language skills, and singing in Episcopal Church choirs. Peggram never married and was childless. However, several personal letters to his Harvard colleague Leonard Bernstein and private accounts indicate he was homosexual and likely had a romantic relationship with Gerdh Hauptmann during their time together.

Death Reed Edwin Peggram died on April 20, 1982, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, at the age of 67. He was retired at the time of his death and survived by a brother, Vincent Farrar. “The First French and English Translations of Sir Thomas More's ‘Utopia.’” The Modern Language Review, vol. 100, 2005, pp. 51–61.