author
Henry P. (Henry Peck) Fry
1881–1956
A Southern journalist and writer, he is best remembered for firsthand, often controversial books on race, politics, and the Ku Klux Klan in the early 20th century. His work comes out of direct experience and strong opinions, which makes it historically revealing as well as deeply of its time.
1 Audiobook
The Modern Ku Klux Klan
by Henry P. (Henry Peck) Fry
About the author
Born in Atlanta in 1881, he later graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1901 and went on to work as a newspaperman and writer. Archival records from VMI describe him as a journalist and note that he died in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1956.
His best-known book is The Modern Ku Klux Klan (1922), a work drawn from his own experience inside the organization before becoming disillusioned with it. Other surviving records connect him with Chattanooga and identify him with additional writing on public affairs and race, including The Voice of the Third Generation.
Today, Fry is mainly remembered not as a literary figure in the usual sense, but as a witness to a tense and troubling period in American history. Readers approaching his work should expect a strong point of view and language shaped by the racial politics of his era.