FOGG, WILLIAM PERRY (27 July 1826-8 May 1909), an adventurer and writer, was born in Exeter, N.H., the son of Josiah and Hannah (Pecker) Fogg. He moved to Cleveland as a child. A transplanted "Yankee," he was an early member and president of the New England Society, which promised to promote a kindred spirit among the offspring of New England pioneers. Initially a chinaware merchant, Fogg became active in city affairs and was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in 1866. Cleveland Mayor HERMAN M. CHAPIN, Fogg, and the other commissioners drafted the Metropolitan Police Act of 1866. In 1868, Fogg began his round-the-world travels, being one of the first Americans to travel through the interior of Japan. The CLEVELAND LEADER published his letters; they were later published as the book Round the World Letters, which also included his letters from China. His second book, Arabistan, or The Land of the Arabian Nights (England, 1872), was an account of his journey through Egypt, Arabia, and Persia to Baghdad. His final book was the revised American edition of Land of the Arabian Nights. When he returned to America, Fogg and Richard C. Parsons acquired the Herald Publishing Co. in 1877. The venture failed, leaving lawyer Parsons to go back to his practice and Fogg to go abroad again. Fogg later came back to the U.S. and lived in Roselle, N.J., from 1901-08, then living in Morris Plains for the last year of his life. He married Mary Ann Gould on 20 May 1852; they had 2 children: Annie and Helen.
Article Categories