Herbert Hopper

Herbert Hopper
Herbert in Paris, 1901.
Born	February 12, 1874 Nebraska
Died	August 2, 1908 Colorado
Spouse(s)	Marie Lorraine Squires

Herbert Hopper (February 12, 1874 - August 2, 1908) was born in Nebraska and studied art in Paris where he encountered the Bahá'í Faith through Charles Mason Remey learning from May Bolles (later Maxwell.) In 1901 Hopper gained permission to go on Bahá'í pilgrimage to see ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and new Bahá'í Thomas Breakwell asked to come along. Together they went. On return, after Breakwell's illness and death, Hopper married Marie Squires and finished his art studies. Together, with their daughter Lorraine, they returned to Mary's parents lands in Illinois. Soon it became apparent he had contracted tuberculosis and the family moved to the Arizona but as his condition worsened he was admitted to a sanitarium in Colorado where he died. Marie and Lorraine continued in the Faith in various services and also were with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the dedication of the site of the Bahá'í House of Worship. Marie died in 1953 and Lorraine married and pioneered to San Salvador.

Born and raised

Herbert Walton Hopper was born February 12, 1874, in Blair, Nebraska, and had Omaha as his home address as late as 1901. Little is known of his parents - his mother was Linda Philleo and his father was George Wallace Hopper. They married April 28, 1873, and he died in August. By 1880 he was living with his grandparents, 74 year old George J. Philleo, retired farmer, and 70 yr old Clarissa Philleo and another grandson - Eugene Thompson.

The first sign of art, a major part of Hopper's later life, was a mention of an art school and studio among his grandfather’s kin. It is not known when his grandparents died, but by 1890 he was at a boarding school in Omaha and winning some honorable mention in woodworking projects and attending school parties. He graduated high school in 1892. In 1895 he was listed as a draftsman in the Omaha city directory and in 1898 as employed in an architectural firm.

Paris

Hopper arrived in Paris by about April 1898 and tried to be admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts October 4, 1898. Instead he becomes a student of the preparatory workshop of Jules Godefroy and Eugène Freynet, and later studied under Victor Laloux, before he was finally admitted in the second class of May 17, 1899. Hopper served in the American Association of Artists in Paris as a librarian in 1900.

The Bahá'í Faith

After the first pilgrimage of Western Bahá'ís in the party led by Phoebe Hearst in the spring of 1899, most of whom returned to America, Phoebe Hearst and May Bolles (later Maxwell) returned to Paris. In society functions Bolles began to circulate and awareness of her new faith became known to some degree - enough to brook the interest of Charles Mason Remey, then an art student of Henri Deglane, with Bolles' bother. He pursued his curiosity and Bolles began presenting the religion to him in phases. Herbert was Remey's roommate and Remey introduced him to the Faith. On December 31st, 1899, Remey learned of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and on returning to his apartment he shared this with Herbet and brought him to Bolles. By the morning of the January 1, 1900, there were four Bahá'ís in Paris - (Bolles, (Theodora) Edith MacKaye, Remey and Hopper.) Early in 1900 Sarah Farmer had some exposure to the Faith in Green Acre before leaving and stopped in Paris. Though the dates are unknown, Marie Squires had come to Paris and was an art student as well, and learned of the Faith in the fall of 1900.

In the summer of 1901 Hopper decided to go on Bahá'í pilgrimage and received permission even though classes were set to begin August 1. He had applied for an emergency passport to travel to Syria July 29. A couple days after beginning the process to go on pilgrimage Thomas Breakwell suddenly appeared in the community and after less than a week was deeply moved to join the religion.^{Kindle position 2400} Then Breakwell heard of Hopper going on pilgrimage and joined him, applying for an emergency passport August 9. They could only stay two days and two nights in early September^{Kindle position 3564} but returned later the same month.^{Kindle position 3578} During his pilgrimage Hopper asked that he die a martyr's death.

Non-authoritative pilgrim notes of their pilgrimage emphasizes several points: warnings of prophetic troubled times meant good tidings of God’s will, that a universal peace is to come, but dire events and overturning of society must be borne first, comparisons of the revelation of Jesus and of Bahá’u’lláh, and an emphasis to not use miracles as proofs of the religion or station of Bahá'u'lláh, though stories of miracles were also shared. The unfaithful half-brother of `Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a report of their pilgrimage which included incorrect information and exaggerated the stay of Breakwell and Herbert saying they had arrived in November and stayed two or three weeks to transact business and exchanged a great deal of money. This report did make it to the Ottoman authorities leading to the Ottoman Commission of Inquiry against ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1905.

After returning to Paris Breakwell was a center of activity in the community but was showing signs of illness by spring 1902.^{Kindle position 3585} Hopper tried to nurse Breakwell but he advanced under a doctor’s care and still got sicker.^{Kindle position 3585} It became apparent he had tuberculosis and he died in June and was buried.

Agnes Alexander learned of the Faith in Paris and remembered Hopper.

Married

Marie Lorraine Squires and Herbert Walton Hopper married in London May 19, 1902. By 1903 she and others - some 15 at least - had joined the Bahá'í community in Paris though many had attended meetings earlier. Their daughter Eleanor Lorraine Hopper was born February 27, 1903, in Paris.

On return to art school Hopper earned a Second Medal in modeling and 2 1st Seconds in history of architecture and project rendered. He graduated June 18, 1903, and asked that the school send him his diploma at Dixon, Illinois, at the home of Marie's father, GH Squires, by letter June 30, 1903. The family of three returned to America on the SS Friesland on July 8, 1903, arriving at Philadelphia, and aiming to return back to Omaha. Sarah Farmer had hopes he could help with her plans for Monsalvat college but with a family they had responsibilities. We don’t know when Hopper began to show signs of illness, but his family concluded that he contracted that disease through nursing Thomas Breakwell. In 1903 and 1904 the family visited Marie’s family in Dixon. There was a newspaper story mentioning the religion but it was about coverage of the marriage of Ali Kuli Khan and Florence Breed. Nebraska did not have a dedicated treatment center for tuberculosis until 1912. By 1906 the family had moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, probably for Hopper’s health hoping to deal with the TB. However he worsened and went to Agnes Memorial Sanitarium in Colorado by summer 1908. Marie got an emergency message but arrived after he died. His body was shipped to Dixon to be buried with Marie’s kin. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Marie Hopper a loving Tablet following the passing of Herbert, affirming that Herbert’s wish had been granted.

The family continues

Marie Hopper and daughter Rene Hopper Welsh were present May 1, 1912, at the dedication of the Temple by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Lorraine was present at Green Acre in 1918. By 1919 the family was living in Urbana. Dates slip by - there is some service on the national library committee and Marie is a contact point for the Ives when they are in Memphis in 1939 not very long before he died. By 1941 they were back in Dixon, IL.

Marie later purchased the home built by Louis Gregory after his death and then it went to the Atkinsons. Marie died September 11, 1953. Lorraine served on a youth committee, married, and after he joins the Faith, they pioneered to San Salvador where she died in 1988.