Neal Cassady

Neal Cassady's early life was marked by hardship, growing up in poverty during the Great Depression. His parents separated when he was six, leading him to live with his alcoholic father in a condemned building. Despite these challenges, he held various jobs, including a brakeman for the railroad for ten years, a laborer at the Los Gatos Tire Company, and an auto mechanic. His formal education was limited, primarily occurring in reform school after he began stealing cars at the age of 14. Cassady possessed a notable charisma and conversational ability. He married LuAnne, a 15-year-old runaway, before subsequently marrying Caroline Casey, with whom he had three children and spent the majority of his adult life. His unfinished autobiography, "The First Third," was published posthumously.Cassady's life took a significant turn after a friend introduced him to Jack Kerouac, leading to a close friendship and his integration into Kerouac's intellectual circle. In 1952, Kerouac resided in the attic of Cassady and Caroline's home, forming a complex relationship. Cassady became the primary inspiration for the character Dean Moriarty in Kerouac's seminal novel "On the Road," published in September 1957. In 1958, he was incarcerated for two years following a drug-related offense. After his release, Cassady spent the next decade as a rootless wanderer, notably joining Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters in the 1960s and driving their iconic psychedelic bus. He died at the age of 42 on February 4, 1968, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, from pneumonia resulting from exposure, his body found near railroad tracks.