Patrick Hemingway, Last Surviving Child of Ernest, Dies in Montana

If you’ve ever read Ernest Hemingway’s works, you know the man was larger than life. His second son, Patrick Hemingway, carried that same spirit through his own extraordinary life. On Tuesday evening, September 3, 2025, Patrick passed away peacefully at his home in Bozeman, Montana. He was 96.

Grandson Shares a Heartfelt Tribute to Patrick Hemingway

Patrick’s grandson, Patrick Hemingway Adams, put it best when he described his grandfather: “My grandfather was the real thing: a larger than life paradox from the old world; a consummate dreamer saddled with a scientific brain."

Patrick continued praise for his grandfather saying, "He spoke half a dozen languages and solved complicated mathematical problems for fun, but his heart truly belonged to the written and visual arts.”

It’s hard not to read those words and see the reflection of Ernest himself, but with a life and legacy that was uniquely Patrick’s own.

From Kansas City to Cuba: A Childhood of Adventure and Learning

Patrick was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1928, but his childhood stretched far beyond the Midwest. He split his early years between Cuba and Key West, Florida, often tagging along with his famous father.

Imagine being a boy, climbing aboard Ernest Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, and heading out to sea not just for fishing trips, but for spontaneous hunts for German submarines during World War II. That was Patrick’s reality. Later, he pursued academics just as fiercely, studying at Stanford before graduating from Harvard in 1950 with a degree in History and Literature.

A Life of Conservation and Safari in Africa

Patrick’s calling led him far from the United States. He moved to Tanzania, where he poured himself into teaching wildlife conservation and training the country’s very first African rangers. He also served as a forestry officer for the United Nations. If you picture him guiding safaris across British East Africa or working his farmland, you’ll understand how deeply he cared about nature, people, and the balance between the two.

Preserving and Sharing His Father’s Literary Legacy

Even with a life so full of its own adventure, Patrick also carried the responsibility of preserving his father’s work. Starting in the 1970s, he edited and completed Ernest’s unfinished manuscript True at First Light and offered invaluable insight for the Hemingway Library editions of The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and others.

In 2022, Patrick and his family shared a treasure: Dear Papa: The Letters of Patrick and Ernest Hemingway, a deeply personal collection of correspondence between father and son.

Family Honors Patrick Hemingway’s Enduring Values and Legacy

Angela Hemingway Charles, his sister-in-law and President of Hemingway Ltd., spoke beautifully of Patrick's life explaining that Patrick lived out the values passed down from his father while making them uniquely his own, honesty, a spirit of adventure, and a deep appreciation for both nature and literature.

With his passing, an extraordinary chapter of the Hemingway family comes to a close, but the impact of his work and the lives he influenced will carry his legacy forward.

A Legacy of Scholarship, Family, and Future Generations

Patrick’s impact didn’t stop with books or safaris. In 2023, he and his wife Carol created the Patrick and Carol T. Hemingway Scholar-in-Residence program at the John F. Kennedy Library, ensuring future generations can study both the literary and conservation legacies he held dear.

Hemmingway leaves behind his daughter, Edwina, four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews who will carry his memory forward.