Lucian Marquis

Lucian Marquis was a student at Black Mountain College from 1940-1942. In the summer of 1942, he remained at the college as a paid worker. Marquis had escaped with his family from Nazi Germany at the age of twelve. The family lived for a time in Rome before immigrating to Beverly Hills, California where he graduated from high school in 1937.

After trying unsuccessfully to enlist in the military because of his German background, Marquis used his proficiency in German, French and Italian to monitor German radio broadcasts for the United Press. In 1943, he joined the 86th Blackhawk Division of the United States Army and served as a combat infantryman during the Battle of the Bulge and later as a scout and interrogator.

Following the war, Marquis began his teaching career at Windsor Mountain School in Massachusetts. In 1947, he married Jane Slater (b. September 23, 1922), a graduate of Black Mountain College. He earned his M.A. degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1951 and a doctoral degree, also from UCLA, in 1959.

He joined the political science faculty at the University of Oregon where he taught until 1966. He was the university’s first director of its Honors College and received the Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching.

He also led one of the first anti-war protests against American involvement in Viet Nam. From 1966 until his retirement, he taught political science at Pitzer College and Claremont in California.

The Lucian Marquis Library and Reading Room at Pitzer was named for him. He also taught at the Graduate Institute of St. John’s University in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Biography written by Mary Emma Harris for the Black Mountain College Project.

Relationships

Wife: Fellow BMC student, Jane Slater

Black Mountain College Project

Mary Emma Harris interviewed Lucian in 1998 and the transcript is available from Appalachian State University under The Mary Emma Harris and Black Mountain College Project, Inc. Oral History collection.

Topics: Background in Europe and immigration to USA as refugee – work as a butler to Max Reinhardt’s first wife – travel to BMC – family background in Europe– attempts in USA to enlist in army – Gashouse Gang at BMC – graduation process at BMC – Erwin Straus as teacher – Jerry Wolpert at BMC – work program at BMC – influence of BMC on his teaching at Pitzer – Albers’ visit in Oregon – community life at BMC – assessment of college philosophy – John Andrew Rice – teaching at Windsor Mountain School