User:Niftysquirrel/John Hathaway McGinnis

John Hathaway McGinnis (1883–1960) was a professor of English at Southern Methodist University, editor of the Southwest Review, founding editor of the SMU Press, and the founding editor of the Dallas Morning News book page.

An SMU dormitory, Morrison-McGinnis Commons, is named after him, as was the John H McGinnis Memorial Award, now known as the McGinnis-Ritchie Award.

McGinnis was born on December 21, 1883 in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. He received his BA in 1904 from Missouri Valley College. He taught English at Southwestern University from 1907 to 1914, before pursuing his master's degree at Columbia University in 1915. He was one of the first faculty members to join Southern Methodist

He and his wife, Grace Gillette, had four sons.

McGinnis was the first professor to arrive at Southern Methodist University

McGinnis was an early champion of southwestern American literature, encouraging writers like George Sessions Perry, J. Frank Dobie, and Mary Austin.

Writers who cite McGinnis as an influence include Jerry Bywaters, Stanley Marcus, and Paul Horgan. Lon Tinkle, Henry Nash Smith