February 27: Birthday of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807)
Prayer Idea
Pray for poets who attempt to communicate important thoughts through words.
History Note
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, in 1807, while Maine was still part of Massachusetts. Henry began writing while still a child and published his first poem at age 13.
Henry and his brother Stephen attended Bowdoin College, which was a new college in Brunswick, Maine. Other students there at the same time were future author Nathaniel Hawthorne and future U.S. president Franklin Pierce.
Henry Longfellow graduated in 1825 and Bowdoin College offered him a job as a professor. Longfellow married Mary Potter in 1831. She died while they were travelling in Europe in 1835.
After returning to the United States, Longfellow became a professor at Harvard University. He published his first book of poetry in 1839, which launched his successful writing career. Over the next several decades, he published numerous collections of poetry and a translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
In 1843 Longfellow married Fanny Appleton. They had six children, one of whom died as an infant. Longfellow retired from Harvard in 1854 to devote himself to writing.
In 1861 Fanny Longfellow’s dress caught fire in an accident in their home, and Henry struggled to put out the flames. Fanny was badly burned, and she died the next day. Henry was also badly burned but recovered. He grew a beard to hide his disfigurement.
The popularity of Longfellow’s work continued to grow until his death in 1882.
This photo shows Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his study around 1880. Photo courtesy the National Park Service, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site.
Learn More
Longfellow lost his wife in 1861, the same year the Civil War began. In 1863 Longfellow received news that his son Charles had been wounded in the war. He wrote the poem "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day that year.
Learn more about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and find more examples of his work at Homeschool History.
