Neal Cassady

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Neal Leon Cassady (February 8, 1926 – February 4, 1968) was a pivotal figure of the Beat Generation and 1960s psychedelic and counterculture movements. He was prominently included in Jack Kerouac's "scroll" (first draft) version of On the Road, and he was also the model for Dean Moriarty in the 1957 version of the story.

Cassady is represented in several of Kerouac's later books by the character Cody Pomeray.

Cassady appeared in Allen Ginsberg's poems as well as in several other collections of literature by other writers.

Early years

In Salt Lake City, Utah, Cassady was born to Maude Jean (Scheuer) and Neal Marshall Cassady. His mother died when he was ten years old, and he was raised in Denver, Colorado by his alcoholic father. Cassady spent a large portion of his youth on the streets of skid row, with his father, or in reform school.

Cassady was repeatedly involved in petty offences as a youth. When he was 15, he was arrested for shoplifting and auto theft, as well as for car theft and fencing when he was 16.

Justin W. Brierly, a respected Denver scholar, was a 15-year-old Cassady's first encounter in 1941. Brierly was well-known as a mentor for young men and was captivated by Cassady's intelligence. Brierly played a vital role in Cassady's life over the next few years. Brierly assisted Cassady in enrolling in East High School, where he promoted and monitored his reading and found work for him. Cassady's illegal activities remained abundant from 1942 to 1944, but on at least one of these occasions, he was released by law enforcement into Brierly's safekeeping. Cassady was arrested in June 1944 for being in possession of stolen property and received 11 months of a one-year jail term. This correspondance is dated between Brierly and he regularly exchanged letters during the time, even during Cassady's irregular detentions; this letter represents Cassady's oldest living letters. Brierly is also suspected of Cassady's first homosexual encounter.

Cassady married Lu Anne Henderson, a 16-year-old girl who had been released from jail, in October 1945. In 1946, the couple travelled to New York City to visit Hal Chase, another Brierly protégé. Cassady and Jack Kerouac met with Allen Ginsberg while visiting Chase at Columbia University. Although Cassady did not attend Columbia, he soon became friends with them and their acquaintances, some of whom became members of the Beat Generation. Cassady refused to instruct Kerouac to write fiction while in New York. Carolyn, Cassady's second wife, has said, "Neal, who was raised in the slums of Denver among the world's lost guys, determined to become more of himself and respected." Any book he could find, whether literature, philosophy, or science, his genius mind devoured it. Jack had a formal education, which Neal admired, but intellectually he was more than a match for Jack, and they enjoyed long discussions on every topic.

Carolyn Robinson first encountered Cassady in 1947 while attending her master's degree in theater arts at the University of Denver. Neal received an annulment from Luanne and married Carolyn, five weeks after Lu Anne's resignation. Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg (1990), Carolyn's book, "the American Man" describes her marriage to Cassady and recalls him as "the archetype of the American Man." Cassady's sexual relationship with Ginsberg lasted for almost 20 years.

Cassady served for the Southern Pacific Railroad and kept in touch with his "Beat" colleagues even as they became more diverse philosophically.

The couple eventually had three children and settled in a ranch house in Monte Sereno, California, 50 miles south of San Francisco, where Kerouac and Ginsberg often visited. In August 1997, this home, which was built in 1954 with funds from a Southern Pacific Railroad settlement for a train-related disaster, was demolished. Cassady began to marry Diane Hansen, a young model who was pregnant with his child Curtis Hansen, in 1950.

Cassady traveled around the country with Kerouac and Ginsberg on several occasions, including the trips included in Kerouac's On the Road.

Cassady served a two-year sentence at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County after being arrested in 1958 for promising to share a tiny amount of marijuana with an undercover agent at a San Francisco nightclub. He struggled to satisfy family obligations after being released in June 1960, and Carolyn divorced him when his parole term came to an end in 1963. Carolyn claimed that she was trying to relieve Cassady of the burden of raising a family, but that "this was a mistake and took away the last pillar of his self-confidence."

Cassady shared an apartment with Allen Ginsberg and Beat poet Charles Plymell on San Francisco's 1403 Gough Street.

Cassady first met author Ken Kesey in the summer of 1962; he later became one of the Merry Pranksters, a group of Kesey who were vocal advocates of the use of psychedelic drugs.

Cassady was the primary catalyst of the Furthur bus on the route from San Francisco to New York, which was immortalized in Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968). In a documentary film about the Merry Pranksters and their cross-country journey, directed by Alex Gibney, Cassady appears at length.

Cassady and Margaret Murphy, a longtime couple from Cassady, traveled to Mexico in January 1967 with fellow prankster George "Barely Visible" Walker and Cassady's longtime girlfriend Anne Murphy. Barbara Wilson and Walter Cox arrived in a beachside house just south of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and were welcomed by them. "Like a trained bear" was described in Carolyn Cassady's Lotus Elan's all-night storytelling, speed drives, and the use of LSD made for a classic Cassady appearance. Cassady was adored for his ability to inspire others to love life, but he did not hesitate about his wild life, particularly because it was affecting his family. Cassady took Cox, then 19, outside, and told him: "There's just not much left," he said. My kids are all screwed up. "Do not do what I have done."

Cassady's life became more stable during the next year, and the speed of his travels became more rapid. He left Mexico in May and then moved to San Francisco, Denver, New York City, and points in between. Cassady then returned to Mexico in September and October (stopping in San Antonio on the way to visit his oldest daughter, who had just given birth to his first grandchild), spent the New Year with Carolyn at a friend's house near San Francisco. Cassady returned to Mexico in late January 1968.

Cassady attended a wedding reception in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, on February 3, 1968. After the dance, he walked along a railroad track to the next town but had to get out in the cold, rainy night wearing nothing but a T-shirt and jeans. He was discovered in the morning by the tracks, according to Anton Black, later a professor at El Paso Community College, who carried Cassady over his shoulders to the local post office building. Cassady was then admitted to the nearest hospital, where he died a few hours later on February 4, just four days shy of his 42nd birthday.

Cassady's death is uncertain, according to the exact cause. Many who attended the wedding reception claim he took an unknown quantity of secobarbital, a potent barbiturate sold under the brand name Seconal. "General congestion in both directions exists in both directions," the doctor who administered the autopsy noted. When interviewed later, the physician said he was unable to give a correct report because Cassady was a foreigner and there were drugs involved. Although his widow suspects him of kidney disease, "Exposure" is often blamed for his death.

Cassady has five well-known children: Robert William Hyatt Jr. (1945), Cathleen Cassady (1948), Jami Cassady (1949), Curtis W. Hansen (1950), and John Allen Cassady (1951). Robert, son of Neal Cassady and Maxine Beam, is an artist residing in Arvada, Colorado. He was profiled in Westword magazine in February 2017. Cathleen, also known as Cathy, is the mother of Neal's youngest grandchild. Cathy, Jami, and John maintain a website in honor of their parents and parents' "beat" families.

Curt, who was born in a bigamous marriage with Diana Hansen, died on April 30, 2014, at the age of 63. He was one of the co-founders of Radio station WEBE 108, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and he was one of the first to be a member.

Personal life

Cassady married Lu Anne Henderson, 16, in October 1945 after being released from jail. The couple visited Hal Chase, another Brierly protégé, in 1946. Cassady and Jack Kerouac met with Allen Ginsberg while visiting Chase at Columbia University. Despite the fact that Cassady did not attend Columbia, he became friends with them and their acquaintances, some of whom later became members of the Beat Generation. Cassady refused to instruct Kerouac to write fiction when he was in New York. Carolyn, Cassady's second wife, has said, "Neal, having been raised in the slums of Denver among the world's lost men, is determined to become more of himself and be respected." The genius mind devoured every book he could find, whether literature, philosophy, or science. Jack had a formal education, which Neal admired, but they were more than a match for Jack in terms of academics, and they enjoyed long discussions on every topic."

Carolyn Robinson began studying for her master's degree in theater arts at the University of Denver in 1947. Neal received an annulment from Luanne and married Carolyn Neal on April 1, 1948, five weeks after Lu Anne's departure. Carolyn's book, Off the Road (1990), discusses her marriage to Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg (1990). She describes her father as "the American Man" in the story. Cassady's sexual relationship with Ginsberg lasted for nearly 20 years.

Cassady served with the Southern Pacific Railroad and kept in touch with his "Beat" colleagues even as they became more diverse intellectually.

The couple eventually had three children and settled in a ranch house in Monte Sereno, California, 50 miles south of San Francisco, where Kerouac and Ginsberg often visited. This home, which was built in 1954 with funds from a Southern Pacific Railroad settlement for a train-related accident, was demolished in August 1997. Cassady's 1950s love with Diane Hansen, a young model with a child, Curtis Hansen, was born in Cassady.

Cassady traveled across the United States with Kerouac and Ginsberg on several occasions, including those in Kerouac's On the Road.

Cassady served a two-year term at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, following his arrest in 1958 for promising to share a small amount of marijuana with an undercover agent at a San Francisco nightclub. He struggled to fulfill family obligations after being released in June 1960, and Carolyn divorced him when his parole term came to an end in 1963. Carolyn said she was planning to relieve Cassady of the burden of caring for a family, but "this was a mistake and took away the last pillar of his self-confidence."

Cassady shared an apartment with Allen Ginsberg and Beat poet Charles Plymell at 1403 Gough Street, San Francisco, during the 1960 divorce.

Cassady first met author Ken Kesey in the summer of 1962; he later became a member of the Merry Pranksters, a group that formed around Kesey in 1964, who were vocal proponents of the use of psychedelic drugs.

Cassady served as the primary motive on the bus named Furthur from San Francisco to New York, which was immortalized by Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968). In a documentary film about the Merry Pranksters and their cross-country journey, directed by Alex Gibney, Cassady appears at length.

Cassady and his longtime companion Anne Murphy traveled to Mexico in January 1967. Barbara Wilson and Walter Cox arrived in a beachside house just south of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and were joined by them. In Walker's Lotus Elan, all-night storytelling, speed drives, and the use of LSD made for a classic Cassady show — "much like a trained bear," Carolyn Cassady once said. Cassady was adored for his ability to inspire others to love life, but he was also known to express regret over his wild life, particularly because it affected his family. Cassady took Cox, then 19, aside, saying: "There's just not much left," he told him. Don't do what I have done."

Cassady's life became less stable over the next year, and the pace of his travels became more irregular. He left Mexico in May and travelled to San Francisco, Denver, New York City, and points in between. Cassady returned to Mexico in September and October, stopping in San Antonio to visit his oldest daughter, who had just given birth to his first grandchild, and Carolyn spent the New Year with Carolyn at a friend's house near San Francisco. Cassady then returned to Mexico in late January 1968.

Cassady attended a wedding reception in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, on February 3, 1968. He started walking along a railroad track to reach the next town, but he was stopped in the cold, rainy night wearing nothing but a T-shirt and jeans. He was discovered in a coma by the tracks in the morning, by Anton Black, later a professor at El Paso Community College who carried Cassady across his shoulders to the local post office building. Cassady was then taken to the nearest hospital, where he died just four days later on February 4, just four days shy of his 42nd birthday.

Cassady's death is unknown, as the exact cause is uncertain. Those who attended the wedding reception testify that he acquired an unknown amount of secobarbital, a potent barbiturate sold under the brand name Seconal. "All systems have congestion." The physician who administered the autopsy wrote simply, "general congestion in all directions." When questioned later, the physician said he was unable to provide an accurate report because Cassady was a foreigner and there were drugs involved. Though his widow suspects he died as a result of kidney disease, "exposure" is often blamed for his death.

Cassady has five named children: Robert William Hyatt Jr. (1945), Cathleen Cassady (1948), Jami Cassady (1949), Curtis W. Hansen (1950), and John Allen Cassady (1951). Robert, Neal Cassady and Maxine Beam's son, is an artist living in Arvada, Colorado. He was featured in Westword magazine in February 2017. Cathleen, also known as Cathy, is the mother of Neal's only grandchild. Cathy, Jami, and John maintain a website in honor of their parents and parents' "beat" families.

Curt, a 63-year-old girl who lived in a bigamous marriage with Diana Hansen, died on April 30, 2014. He was one of the co-founders of radio station WEBE 108, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and he was one of the originals.

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