Landon, Kenneth Perry, 1903-
Biographical Statement
Kenneth Landon was born on March 27, 1903 in Meadville, Pennsylvania. His parents were Mae and Brad Landon. Brad had studied at LaFayette College and was an engineer with the Erie Railroad. They settled in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where Kenneth spent his childhood.
Kenneth spent three years at Wheaton and after graduation in 1924 he went to Princeton, where he pursued a Th.M. degree.
Margaret Mortenson and Kenneth were engaged in September, 1924 and they married in June, 1926. After marriage, they prepared for the mission field and traveled to Thailand. The Landon's had five to six acres on their compound in Trang.
In Thailand Margaret served as Headmistress of Anakul Satri Girl's School and was put in charge of the school in 1930-31. During his time in Thailand, Kenneth traveled extensively as an evangelist and was able to plant 6 churches. Along with his church planting activities, he pastored a church in Trang for some time. While the family was on furlough in 1937/38 it was decided that they would not return to Thailand, leaving nearly all of their household belongings and possessions in Thailand.
It was while they were on this last furlough that Kenneth completed a Ph.D. in one year from the University of Chicago. In one furious year Kenneth completed his coursework, took his exams, and wrote and defended his dissertation that was later published as Siam in Transition. After his resignation and the completion of his degree, Kenneth began to look for work, preferably as a pastor, which was not an easy task at the time. After much delay he was able to obtain a position teaching philosophy at Earlham College in Indiana in 1939.
It was during his time at Earlham, during the summer of 1941, that Kenneth received a call from Col. William Donovan. Bill Donovan, later called the “father of American Intelligence”, said President Roosevelt wanted Kenneth in Washington as soon as possible to make a report about the Japanese in Indochina and they needed his help to understand Thailand and the region. Initially, Kenneth was not interested in becoming permanently involved because he enjoyed his time and teaching at Earlham, but this call began a long and illustrious career for Kenneth in the US government. Kenneth’s briefings and seminars proved helpful as the US involvement in Southeast Asia increased during the war and in the future.
While Kenneth served as a government specialist on Southeast Asia, Margaret completed the necessary research to write a story about Anna Leonowens, a governess in the court of King Mongkut. Margaret published several articles about Leonowens and in 1942 completed Anna and the King of Siam, which sold 790,000 copies in the United States and the United Kingdom alone. Later she wrote the novel Never Dies the Dream. Margaret Landon's work was adapted for film by 20th Century Fox in 1946 as Anna and the King of Siam, starring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne. Margaret’s story became the basis for The King and I, a wonderful musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
In 1954, Kenneth left the State Department and moved to the White House Staff of Dwight D. Eisenhower, working for the National Security Council on policy implementation. During the coming years Kenneth made numerous trips to Southeast Asia. In 1960, on one such trip he met with Ngo Diem, self-declared president of the Republic of Vietnam. In 1961 a new administration entered the White House and with increased concerns over communism and insurgency, President Kennedy established a seminar of ambassadors, generals, and other high officials for training in counter-insurgency. This seminar became informally known as the Country Team Seminar and with his knowledge of Southeast Asia, Kenneth would be a regular lecturer. In 1963, Kenneth became the Associate Dean of the Foreign Service Institute's language and area studies program, a natural extension of his previous work.
In 1965, Kenneth retired from the State Department with its highest honor and became a full professor at the American University. He served in this capacity for nine years assisting many students as they pursued advanced degrees. He retired once again, this time at the age of 71. Retirement was a difficult adjustment. He had been a man of great efforts, energy, and accomplishments. As Margaret's health failed Kenneth began to take over the responsibilities of the home.
Ken Landon died August 26, 1993 and Margaret followed soon thereafter, passing away December 4th. Both are buried in Wheaton, Illinois.
Citation:
Author: Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections staffFound in 817 Collections and/or Records:
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Kenneth's Letter: Preacher at Nakhon and Pictures (hour 54, clip 10)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Kenneth's Letters: Furlough Plans, Churches, Kids (hour 53, clip 7)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Length of Margaret's Stay in Phuket & the Sheehans (hour 53, clip 15)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Margaret Felt Like She Didn't Do Anything Important (hour 55, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Margaret's Letter: First Date, Social Times in Wheaton (hour 55, clip 5)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Margaret's Letter: Girls' School, Customs. Peggy (hour 53, clip 6)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Peggy's Beautiful Tankles (hour 53, clip 2)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Some Thai People Wanted Kenneth to Be Their Overlord (hour 54, 11)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: Stories from the War (hour 54, clip 8)
Landon Chronicles (1930): Siam: The Tin Dredge (hour 53, clip 14)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on a Person Typing in the Middle of the Sea of Galilee (hour 60, clip 12)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on How the Tour Guide Tried to Convert Him to Islam (hour 60, clip 10)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on Meeting His Tour Guide in Jerusalem (John) (hour 60, clip 11)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on Meeting His Tour Guide Through Egypt (hour 60, clip 9)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on Sheer Walls of Granite Among Straits of Greece (hour 61, clip 2)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on Swimming in the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee (hour 60, clip 8)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on the Affair of His Two Damascene Rugs (hour 61, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1931): Kenneth on When John and His Friends Tried to Convince Kenneth to Manage a Hotel (hour 61, clip 1)
Landon Chronicles (1932-1938): Kenneth on the Varied Trouble That Led to Their Resignation (hour 60, clip 6)
Landon Chronicles (1932): Kenneth on His Second Trip to Siam and Acquiring a New Nagasaki Tea Set (hour 83, clip 5)
Landon Chronicles (1933): Kenneth on How He Obtained Those Economic Plans Originally (hour 69, clip 14)
Landon Chronicles (1933): Kenneth on When He Fell Asleep on His Hostess's Shoulder (hour 59, clip 9)
Landon Chronicles (1934-1937): Kenneth on Margaret's Story About the Climax of Their Mission Politics (hour 60, clip 4)
Landon Chronicles (1934-1937): Margaret on "The Pakai Affair" (hour 62, clip 1)
Landon Chronicles (1934-1950): Kenneth on the Acquisition of Two Paintings from Mrs. Yipintsoi (hour 80, clip 16)
Landon Chronicles (1935): Kenneth on His and Bill's Appendicitis, Taking Medication (hour 59, clip 10)
Landon Chronicles (1936): Kenneth on Brits Commenting on Defending Malaya and Burma (hour 65, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1936): Kenneth on His 'Bike Gang' (hour 58, clip 8)
Landon Chronicles (1937-1938): Brad was Awed That Kenneth Got His Doctorate in One Year (hour 6, clip 7)
Landon Chronicles (1937-1938): Margaret's Article at Medill and Related Stories (hour 55, clip 6)
Landon Chronicles (1937): Brad Sr. was Alarmed When Kenneth Returned From Thailand (hour 7, clip 6)
Landon Chronicles (1937): Kenneth on the Fortuitous Timing of Their Careers and Interest in Southeast Asia (hour 87, clip 10)
Landon Chronicles (1938-1941): Kenneth on How the Government Came to Seek His Services Initially (hour 64, clip 1)
Landon Chronicles (1938-1944): Kenneth on the Big Changes in Family-life for Him at This Time (hour 67, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1938): Kenneth and Margaret on Government Inquiries to Get Kenneth to Teach (hour 63, clip 2)
Landon Chronicles (1938): Kenneth on Graham Fuller Being Jealous of Him (hour 60, clip 5)
Landon Chronicles (1938): Kenneth on His Doctoral Work Under A. Eustace Haydon at the University of Chicago (hour 72, clip 18)
Landon Chronicles (1938): Kenneth on How and Why They Quit the Mission Field (hour 67, clip 13)
Landon Chronicles (1938): Kenneth on Trying to Get Harvard to Take Prince Damrong's Library (hour 63, clip 4)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1941): Brad Would Visit Kenneth and Margaret (hour 7, clip 9)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1941): Kenneth on How He Got the Job at Earlham College (hour 63, clip 1)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1941): Money Kenneth and Margaret Earned (hour 7, clip 8)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1943): Kenneth and Margaret on the Actual Writing of Anna (hour 75, clip 7)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1943): Margaret and Kenneth on Her Writing Anna (hour 77, clip 4)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1944): Kenneth on Candy the Bulldog's Way of Greeting Visitors (hour 74, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1939-1945): Kenneth on Suspicions He Was a Spy, Not a Missionary (hour 59, clip 8)
Landon Chronicles (1939): Brad Landon at 710 Walnut Street and the Furniture (hour 2, clip 3)
Landon Chronicles (1939): Kenneth on When He Met One of Anna Leonowens's Friends (hour 75, clip 2)
Landon Chronicles (1939): Margaret and Kenneth on Finding Anna Leonowens's Two Out-of-print Books (hour 75, clip 4)
Landon Chronicles (1939): Margaret and Kenneth on Meeting Avis Fyshe, Leonowens's Granddaughter (hour 75, clip 3)
Additional filters:
- Type
- Digital Record 813
- Unprocessed Material 3
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Death. 6
- Haskell lectures on history of religions 5
- Marriage. 5
- Missionaries -- Thailand. 5
- King and I (Motion picture) 4
- Stout 4
- Tennis 3
- Appendicitis. 2
- Baptism. 2
- Chinese language. 2
- Christmas. 2
- Golf 2
- Thai language 2
- Thailand -- Social life and customs. 2
- Advertising 1
- American University (Washington, D.C.) -- Faculty. 1
- Articles. 1
- Audiotapes 1
- Bangkok, Thailand. 1
- Basketball. 1
- Birth certificates. 1
- Bradley, Dan Beach, 1804-1873 -- Correspondence. 1
- Chinese -- Thailand. 1
- Cole, Edna Sarah -- Correspondence. 1
- Correspondence 1
- Dating (Social customs) 1
- Davenport, Mary Frances Greenhow Roper, 1819-1896 -- Correspondence. 1
- Dengue 1
- Dentistry 1
- Diaries 1
- Flute 1
- Football 1
- Gambling 1
- Ham 1
- Harvard College Library 1
- Interviews 1
- Landon, Kenneth Perry, 1903- -- Archives. 1
- Landon, Margaret, 1903-1993 -- Archives. 1
- Lectures 1
- Legal Documents 1
- Matoon, Stephen -- Correspondence. 1
- Mekong River 1
- Methodism 1
- Microfilms 1
- Missions -- China -- 1900-1944. 1
- Missions -- China. 1
- Missions -- Soviet Union. 1
- Missions -- Theory. 1
- Monsoons 1
- Negritos 1
- Opium 1
- Ordination 1
- Photographs 1
- Piano 1
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- Clergy. 1
- Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Missions. 1
- Religion and culture -- Thailand. 1
- Reviews 1
- Serials 1
- Sermons 1
- Southeast Asia -- Politics and government -- 1945- 1
- Thailand -- Courts and courtiers. 1
- Thailand -- Description and travel 1
- Thailand -- Religion. 1
- Theses 1
- Tree houses 1
- Videotapes 1
- Wheaton (Ill.) 1
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Alumni. 1
- Zippers 1 ∧ less