Will Levington Comfort

Will Levington Comfort (February 17, 1878 – November 2, 1932) was a U.S. writer, known primarily for adventure novels such as Apache. Three of Comfort's works served as the story for feature films. Somewhere in Sonora, based on his novel Somewhere south of Sonora, was remade in 1933 starring John Wayne.

The Will Levington Comfort Letters (2 volumes, 1920–21) deal with theosophical subjects, and influenced among others Alice Bailey. Comfort introduced composer/astrologer Dane Rudhyar to Marc Edmund Jones who introduced Rudhyar to the study of astrology. Rudhyar married Comfort's secretary, Maria Contento. Comfort was also an influence on painters Mabel Alvarez and Agnes Pelton.

Biography

Comfort was educated in Detroit, Michigan public schools, and then at Albion College, Albion, Michigan. He gained experience as a newspaper reporter in Detroit, Michigan, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. In the Spanish–American War he served in the 5th U.S. Cavalry. Later, in 1899, he became a war correspondent. In connection with his correspondent's duties, he traveled in the Philippines and China. In 1904 he also traveled in the Russian Empire and Japan as a correspondent. Later he lived in Highland Park, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. At this period of his life, when he was concerned with spiritual matters, he published two periodicals, The Glass Hive and the Reconstruction Letters.

Family

Comfort was born on February 17, 1878, near Kalamazoo, MI, to the druggist Silas Hopkins Comfort (c. 1846–1898) and Jane Levington (1850–1926), who had immigrated from Ireland. His father's maternal grandfather was Capt. Benjamin Hopkins, who founded the town of Spring Lake, Michigan.