William Dufty
| William Dufty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Francis Dufty February 2, 1916 United States |
| Died | June 28, 2002 (aged 86) United States |
| Occupation | Writer, musician, activist |
| Spouse(s) | Maely Bartholomew (divorced) Gloria Swanson (m. 1976; her death 1983) |
| Children | Bevan Dufty |
William Francis Dufty (February 2, 1916 – June 28, 2002) was an American writer, musician, and activist.
Dufty was a supporter of trade unionism. "Dufty was an organizer for the United Auto Workers, wrote speeches for former UAW President Walter Reuther, edited Michigan Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) News and handled publicity for Americans for Democratic Action."
Dufty was born near Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Dufty produced some autobiographical notes in the first chapter, "It is necessary to be personal", of his book Sugar Blues (1975):
After suffering through two years of college, I finally dropped out. It took daring in those days to dream of facing life without a degree. But I could sniff another war in the offing...I was drafted in 1942…
After the war he moved to New York and began a newspaper career. His columns and exposés for the New York Post drew acclaim, including one that charged that the FBI bungled cases under J. Edgar Hoover's leadership. He was awarded the George Polk Award for an exposé on immigrants.
Dufty had one son, Bevan Dufty, with first wife Maely Bartholomew, who had arrived in New York City during World War II after losing most of her family in the Nazi concentration camps. She settled near Harlem where she met her best friend and Bevan's godmother, Billie Holiday. They later divorced and Maely raised Bevan as a single mother.
Dufty took Billie Holiday's oral history and wrote Lady Sings the Blues (" Billie Holiday with William Dufty") in 1956, which in turn was made into a 1972 movie starring Diana Ross in the title role.
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