F. Scott Fitzgerald, author and icon of the Roaring '20s, was born on September 24, 1896 on Laurel Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. Though Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda lived mainly in New York and Paris, St. Paul figured significantly in their lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald spent his youth (1896-1899), his school days (1908-1911), and part of his married life (1921-1922) in St. Paul. Fitzgerald developed his obsession with wealth and status, as well as his desire to belong among the elite, on the fringes of the most fashionable neighborhoods of St. Paul. As a boy, he attended St. Paul Academy before continuing—but never completing—his education at Princeton University. In their early married life, he and Zelda frequented the University Club in St. Paul and the magnificent lake homes and White Bear Yacht Club in Dellwood. The collections of the Minnesota Historical Society hold many interesting and valuable resources to teach us more about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s contribution to Minnesota history and Minnesota’s contribution to Fitzgerald’s life.
Katie Jean Davey
Reference Librarian
