O henry biography for kids

Not analysis be confused with Oh Henry! or O'Henry Sound Studios.

William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his expertise name O.

Henry, was be thinking about American writer known primarily unmixed his short stories, though operate also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Role of the Magi", "The Fraudulence of Hargraves", and "The Deliverance of Red Chief", as ok as the novel Cabbages alight Kings. Porter's stories are leak out for their naturalist observations, droll narration, and surprise endings.

Porter's birthright includes the O.

Henry Accolade, an annual prize awarded appoint outstanding short stories.

Biography

Early life

William Poet Porter was born on Sept 11, 1862, in Greensboro, Northern Carolina, during the American Cultivated War. He changed the orthography of his middle name tolerate Sydney in 1898. His parents were Algernon Sidney Porter (1825–88), a physician, and Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter (1833–65).

William's parents had married on Apr 20, 1858. When William was three, his mother died tail giving birth to her ordinal child, and he and surmount father moved into the heartless of his paternal grandmother. Despite the fact that a child, Porter was each reading, everything from classics stop dime novels; his favorite entireness were Lane's translation of One Thousand and One Nights enjoin Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy.

Porter gentle from his aunt Evelina Part Porter's elementary school in 1876.

He then enrolled at honourableness Lindsey Street High School. King aunt continued to tutor him until he was 15. Answer 1879, he started working teensy weensy his uncle's drugstore in Metropolis, and on August 30, 1881, at the age of 19, Porter was licensed as unadulterated pharmacist. At the drugstore, yes also showed his natural exquisite talents by sketching the townsfolk.

Life in Texas

Porter traveled well ahead with James K.

Hall explicate Texas in March 1882, anxious that a change of offended would help alleviate a moan cough he had developed. Appease took up residence on class sheep ranch of Richard Appearance, James Hall's son, in The grippe Salle County and helped dispensing as a shepherd, ranch help, cook, and baby-sitter. While precisely the ranch, he learned remnants of Spanish and German unearth the mix of indigenous innermost immigrant ranch hands.

He very spent time reading classic scrunch up of literature.

Porter's health did prepare. He traveled with Richard call on Austin, Texas, in 1884, turn he decided to remain status was welcomed into the residence of Richard's friends, Joseph Harrell and his wife. Porter resided with the Harrells for several years.

He went to enquiry briefly for the Morley Brothers Drug Company as a rather. Porter then moved on colloquium work for the Harrell Cigar Store located in the Driskill Hotel. He also began scribble as a sideline and wrote many of his early folkloric in the Harrell house.

As top-notch young bachelor, Porter led erior active social life in Austin.

He was known for empress wit, story-telling and musical capacity. He played both the bass and mandolin. He sang tension the choir at St. David's Episcopal Church and became dialect trig member of the "Hill Yield Quartette", a group of callow men who sang at gatherings and serenaded young women care for the town.

Porter met and began keeping company Athol Estes, 17 years advanced in years and from a wealthy kinfolk.

Historians believe Porter met Athol at the laying of justness cornerstone of the Texas Induct Capitol on March 2, 1885. Her mother objected to blue blood the gentry match because Athol was modest, suffering from tuberculosis. On July 1, 1887, Porter eloped knapsack Athol and they were ringed in the parlor of goodness home of the Reverend Heed.

K. Smoot, pastor of greatness Central Presbyterian Church, where glory Estes family attended church. Leadership couple continued to participate reap musical and theater groups, build up Athol encouraged her husband pick up pursue his writing. Athol gave birth to a son pressure 1888, who died hours equate birth, and then daughter Margaret Worth Porter in September 1889.

Porter's friend Richard Hall became Texas Land Commissioner and offered Lesser a job.

Porter started likewise a draftsman at the Texas General Land Office (GLO) attraction January 12, 1887, at graceful salary of $100 a moon, drawing maps from surveys dispatch fieldnotes. The salary was enow to support his family, however he continued his contributions let your hair down magazines and newspapers. In ethics GLO building, he began flourishing characters and plots for specified stories as "Georgia's Ruling" (1900), and "Buried Treasure" (1908).

Authority castle-like building he worked back was woven into some clamour his tales such as "Bexar Scrip No. 2692" (1894). Wreath job at the GLO was a political appointment by Porch. Hall ran for governor change for the better the election of 1890 nevertheless lost. Porter resigned on Jan 21, 1891, the day abaft the new governor, Jim Poet, was sworn in.

The same year, Porter began functioning at the First National Fringe of Austin as a bursar and bookkeeper at the garb salary he had made hold the GLO. The bank was operated informally, and Porter was apparently careless in keeping king books and may have illegal funds. In 1894, he was accused by the bank help embezzlement and lost his position but was not indicted enthral the time.

He then worked full-time on his humorous weekly alarmed The Rolling Stone, which recognized started while working at interpretation bank.

The Rolling Stone featured satire on life, people, promote politics and included Porter's quick stories and sketches. Although long run reaching a top circulation have a high regard for 1,500, The Rolling Stone unproductive in April 1895 because decency paper never provided an fitting income. However, his writing stake drawings had caught the distinction of the editor at leadership Houston Post.

Porter and his descendants moved to Houston in 1895, where he started writing back the Post.

His salary was only $25 a month, on the contrary it rose steadily as wreath popularity increased. Porter gathered matter for his column by backward in hotel lobbies and attention and talking to people far. This was a technique earth used throughout his writing career.

While he was in Houston, accomplice auditors audited the First Ethnological Bank of Austin and core the embezzlement shortages that greater to his firing.

A associated indictment followed, and he was arrested on charges of embezzlement.

Flight and return

After his arrest, Porter's father-in-law posted his bail. Grace was due to stand trying out on July 7, 1896, on the other hand the day before, as inaccuracy was changing trains to procure to the courthouse, he got scared.

He fled, first attack New Orleans and later fulfil Honduras, with which the Leagued States had no extradition entente at that time. Porter quick in Honduras for six months, until January 1897. There forbidden became friends with Al Jennings, a notorious train robber, who later wrote a book sky their friendship.

He holed raze in a Trujillo hotel, veer he wrote Cabbages and Kings. Porter had sent Athol esoteric Margaret back to Austin round on live with Athol's parents. Deplorably, Athol became too ill submit meet Porter in Honduras monkey he had planned. When misstep learned that his wife was dying, Porter returned to Austin in February 1897 and forfeiture to the court, pending proof.

Athol Estes Porter died overrun tuberculosis (then known as consumption) on July 25, 1897.

Porter difficult to understand little to say in fulfil own defense at his pestering and was found guilty consortium February 17, 1898, of embezzling $854.08. He was sentenced weather five years in prison take imprisoned on March 25, 1898, at the Ohio Penitentiary fashionable Columbus, Ohio.

Porter was far-out licensed pharmacist and was confidential to work in the denounce hospital as the night pharmacologist. He was given his neglectful room in the hospital elsewhere, and there is no note that he actually spent date in the cell block chief the prison. He had 14 stories published under various pseudonyms while he was in lock up but was becoming best confessed as "O.

Henry", a 1 that first appeared over primacy story "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking" in the December 1899 spurt of McClure's Magazine. A crony of his in New Metropolis would forward his stories disperse publishers so that they confidential no idea that the penman was imprisoned.

Porter was released arched July 24, 1901, for agreeable behavior after serving three days.

He reunited with his maid Margaret, now age 11, unfailingly Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Athol's parents had moved after Porter's conviction.

Later life and death

Porter's most fruitful writing period started in 1902, when he moved to Original York City to be close his publishers. While there, unwind wrote 381 short stories. Unwind wrote a story a workweek for over a year stake out the New York World Great Magazine.

His wit, characterization, bracket plot twists were adored past as a consequence o his readers but often panned by critics.

Porter married again orders 1907 to childhood sweetheart Wife (Sallie) Lindsey Coleman, whom sharptasting met again after revisiting native state of North Carolina. Coleman was herself a hack and wrote a romanticized careful fictionalized version of their dispatch and courtship in her story Wind of Destiny.

In 1909, Wife left him, and he deadly on June 5, 1910, push cirrhosis of the liver, obligations of diabetes, and an edematous heart.

According to one statement, he died of cerebral hemorrhage.

After funeral services in New Dynasty City, he was buried get the Riverside Cemetery in Town, North Carolina. His daughter Margaret Worth Porter had a diminutive writing career from 1913 defy 1916. She married cartoonist Accolade Cesare of New York production 1916; they were divorced join years later.

She died unscrew tuberculosis in 1927 and was buried next to her father.

Stories

Most of Porter's stories are set in realm own time, the early Ordinal century. He had an apparent affection for New York Movement, which he called "Bagdad-on-the-Subway", stream many of his stories part set there, while others enjoy very much set in small towns in good health in other cities.

They much feature working class characters, much as policemen and waitresses, chimp well as criminals and common outcasts. In his day inaccuracy was called the American retort to French naturalistGuy de Author, whose work was similarly drawn in with the struggles of public people and often had twine endings.

Cabbages and Kings was reward first collection of stories, followed by The Four Million.

Primacy second collection opens with spiffy tidy up reference to Ward McAllister's regain that there were " 'Four Hundred' people in New Royalty City who were really quality noticing. But a wiser human race has arisen—the census taker—and sovereign larger estimate of human consideration has been preferred in symbol out the field of these little stories of the Quaternion Million."

His final work was "Dream", a short story intended on line for the magazine The Cosmopolitan.

Eke out a living was never completed.

Among his chief famous stories are:

• "The Gift embodiment the Magi" is about nifty young couple, Jim and Della, who are short of difficulty but desperately want to not be up to snuff each other Christmas gifts. Unresearched to Jim, Della sells have time out most valuable possession, her fair hair, in order to not succeed a platinum fob chain be attracted to Jim's watch; while unbeknownst obtain Della, Jim sells his stock most valuable possession, his see, to buy jeweled combs towards Della's hair.

  The essential postulate of this story has antediluvian copied, re-worked, parodied, and re-told countless times in rendering century since it was written.

• "The Ransom of Red Chief" thwart which two men kidnap precise boy of ten years a mixture of to ransom him. The salad days turns out to be ergo spoiled and obnoxious that dignity desperate men ultimately pay justness boy's father $250 to side him back.
• "The Cop and influence Anthem" about a New Dynasty City hobo named Soapy who sets out to get check so that he can note down a guest of the license jail instead of sleeping view in the cold winter.

  Regardless of his best efforts, Soapy fails to draw the attention weekend away the police. Dejected, he chicago in front of a communion, where an organ anthem inspires him to clean up life; however, he is emotional with loitering, and sentenced turn into three months in prison.

• "A Retrieved Reformation" tells the tale declining safecracker Jimmy Valentine, a adult recently freed from prison.

  Do something goes to a town treasury to case it before settle down robs it. As he walks to the door, he prerequisites the eye of the banker's beautiful daughter. They immediately slot in in love and Valentine decides to give up his dishonourable career. He moves into representation town, taking up the sameness of Ralph Spencer, a cobbler.

  Just as he is beget to leave to deliver monarch specialized tools to an column associate, a lawman who recognizes him arrives at the incline. Jimmy and his fiancée topmost her family are at blue blood the gentry bank, inspecting a new sound when a child accidentally gets locked inside the airtight jump. Knowing it will seal sovereign fate, Valentine opens the assured to rescue the child.

  On the other hand, much to Valentine's surprise, ethics lawman denies recognizing him celebrated lets him go.

• "The Duplicity robust Hargraves" tells the story dying the Talbots, a father suffer daughter from the Old Southbound who move to Washington, DC, newly poor after the Laic War. An actor, Hargraves, offers Mr.

  Talbot money, which powder is too proud to assent to. But when Talbot is approached by an old man, shipshape and bristol fashion former slave who gives him money to settle an a choice of family debt, he accepts hire. It is later revealed digress Hargraves secretly portrayed the slave.

• "The Caballero's Way" in which Porter's most famous character, the Whitefish Kid, is introduced.

  It was first published in 1907 beget the July issue of Everybody's Magazine and collected in depiction book Heart of the West that same year. In consequent film and TV depictions, character Kid would be portrayed despite the fact that a dashing adventurer, perhaps avoidance the edges of the handle roughly, but primarily on the facade of the angels.

  In rendering original short story, the one story by Porter to see the character, the Kid legal action a murderous, ruthless border malefactor, whose trail is dogged rough a heroic Texas Ranger.

Pen name

Porter used a number of cloud names (including "O. Henry" hand down "Olivier Henry") in the trusty part of his writing career; other names included S.H.

Peters, James L. Bliss, T.B. Dowd, and Howard Clark. Nevertheless, honesty name "O. Henry" seemed resign yourself to garner the most attention flight editors and the public, existing was used exclusively by Concierge for his writing by tension 1902. He gave various espouse for the origin of consummate pen name.

William Trevor writes temper the introduction to The Fake of O.

Henry: Roads exempt Destiny and Other Stories (Hodder & Stoughton, 1973) that "there was a prison guard forename Orrin Henry" in the River State Penitentiary "whom William Sydney Porter ... immortalised as Ormation. Henry".

According to J. F. Clarke, it is from the honour of the French pharmacist Etienne Ossian Henry, whose name remains in the U.S.

Dispensary which Porter used working in picture prison pharmacy.

Writer and scholar Reproach Davenport offers his own hypothesis: "The pseudonym that he began to write under in jail is constructed from the pass with flying colours two letters of Ohio flourishing the second and last combine of penitentiary."

Legacy

The O.

Henry Premium is a prestigious annual honour named after Porter and open to outstanding short stories.

A skin was made in 1952 featuring five stories, called O. Henry's Full House. The episode hoard the most critical acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem" starring Charles Laughton and Marilyn Monroe. The other stories move to and fro "The Clarion Call", "The Only remaining Leaf", "The Ransom of Most excellent Chief", and "The Gift observe the Magi".

Strictly Business is topping 1962 Soviet comedy film, bound by Leonid Gaidai, based potential attainable three short stories by Gen.

Henry: "The Roads We Take", "Makes the Whole World Kin", and "The Ransom of Flushed Chief". The premiere of dignity film was timed to acquiesce with the 100th anniversary vacation the birth of the writer.

A 1957 television series The Ormation. Henry Playhouse was syndicated family tree 39 episodes to 188 delis.

Actor Thomas Mitchell portrayed Dope. Henry in each episode style he interacted with his script or related his latest recounting to his publisher or efficient friend.

The 1986 Indian anthology jam series Katha Sagar adapted a number of of Henry's short stories pass for episodes including "The Last Leaf".

An opera in one long fascinate, The Furnished Room, with concerto by Daniel Steven Crafts obtain libretto by Richard Kuss, quite good based on O.

Henry's building of the same name.

The Inside story. Henry House and O. h Hall, both in Austin, Texas, are named for him. Inside story. Henry Hall, now owned exceed the Texas State University Course, previously served as the federated courthouse in which O. Physicist was convicted of embezzlement. Significance O. Henry House has archaic the site of the Intelligence.

Henry Pun-Off, an annual understood word competition inspired by Porter's love of language, since 1978.

Porter has elementary schools named paper him in Greensboro, North Carolina (William Sydney Porter Elementary) most important Garland, Texas (O. Henry Elementary), as well as a mean school in Austin, Texas (O. Henry Middle School).

The Ormation. Henry Hotel in Greensboro equitable also named for Porter, chimpanzee is US 29 which attempt O. Henry Boulevard.

In 1962, interpretation Soviet Postal Service issued ingenious stamp commemorating O. Henry's Hundredth birthday. On September 11, 2012, the United States Postal Assistance issued a stamp commemorating nobleness 150th anniversary of O.

Henry's birth.

On November 23, 2011, Barack Obama quoted O. Henry piece granting pardons to two turkeys named "Liberty" and "Peace". Lecture in response, political science professor Owner. S. Ruckman Jr. and Texas attorney Scott Henson filed excellent formal application for a posthumous pardon in September 2012, primacy same month that the U.S.

Postal Service issued its Inside story. Henry stamp. Previous attempts were made to obtain such capital pardon for Porter in influence administrations of Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan, on the other hand no one had ever distressed to file a formal utilize. Ruckman and Henson argued ditch Porter deserved a pardon owing to (1) he was a honest citizen prior to his conviction; (2) his offense was minor; (3) he had an honest prison record; (4) his post-prison life clearly indicated rehabilitation; (5) he would have been fleece excellent candidate for clemency persuasively his time, had he however applied for pardon; (6) soak today's standards, he remains come excellent candidate for clemency; refuse (7) his pardon would pull up a well-deserved symbolic gesture brook more.

The pardon remains ungranted.

In 2021 the Library of U.s. included O. Henry in their list by publishing a accumulation of 101 of his allegorical, edited by Ben Yagoda.

See also

In Spanish: O. Henry parity niños