Oliver Wolcott Gibbs (March 15, 1902 - August 16, 1958) was an editor, humorist, parodist, drama critic, and short story writer for The New Yorker magazine from 1927 until his death. He is best remembered for his 1936 parody of Time magazine, which skewered the magazine's inverted narrative structure. Gibbs wrote, "Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind"; he concluded the piece, "Where it all will end, knows God!" He also wrote a comedy, Season in the Sun, which ran on Broadway for 10 months in 1950-51 and was based on a series of stories that originally appeared in The New Yorker. is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A pocket watch, a device used to tell time Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Although not a regular member of the Algonquin Round Table, Gibbs was closely associated with many of its leading names, inheriting the job of theatre critic at The New Yorker from Robert Benchley in 1938. Because his years at the magazine largely overlapped with those of the better-known Alexander Woollcott, many people have confused them or assumed they were related. In fact, Gibbs was a cousin of Alice Duer Miller – yet another member of the Algonquin set – but he was not a relative of Woollcott's. On numerous occasions, in print and in person, Gibbs expressed an intense dislike for Woollcott as both an author and as a person. In a letter to James Thurber, in fact, Gibbs wrote that he thought Woollcott was "about the most dreadful writer who ever existed." The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits that met from 1919 until about 1929, though its legacy endured long afterward. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. ... Alexander Woollcott, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 – January 23, 1943) was a critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine, and a member of the Algonquin Round Table. ... Alice Duer Miller (28 July 1874 - 22 August 1942) was an American writer and poet. ... James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894–November 2, 1961) was a U.S. humorist and cartoonist. ...

He was a cousin of the chemist Oliver Wolcott Gibbs with whom he shared a first name. Gibbs, however, disdained the "Oliver" and never used it. Oliver Wolcott Gibbs (February 21, 1822 - December 9, 1908), United States chemist, was born at New York. ...

Gibbs was married three times, on the last occasion to Elinor Mead Sherwin of the Sherwin-Williams paint family. An alcoholic and heavy smoker, he died on Fire Island of a heart attack while reading proofs of his upcoming book, More In Sorrow. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) is a Cleveland, Ohio, USA-based company in the general building materials industry. ...

His son, Wolcott Gibbs Jr., has written extensively about yachting and was an editor at The New Yorker for several years in the 1980s. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

Gibbs was a direct descendant of U.S. President Martin Van Buren. Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the 8th President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ...

References

James Thurber, The Years With Ross, 1959 James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894–November 2, 1961) was a U.S. humorist and cartoonist. ...

Brendan Gill, Here At The New Yorker, 1975 Gill wrote for The New Yorker for more than 60 years. ...

Thomas Kunkel, Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross and The New Yorker, 1994 Harold Wallace Ross (November 6, 1892 - December 6, 1951) was an American journalist and founder of The New Yorker magazine, which he edited from 1925 to his death. ...