Eliakim Littell (2 January 1797 – 17 May 1870) was an American editor and publisher, the founder of a long-lived periodical named ''Littell's Living Age'' (1844-1941).

Biography

Littell was born in

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

. He moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1819, and established a weekly literary paper entitled the ''National Recorder'', whose name he changed in 1821 to the ''Saturday Magazine''. In July 1822, he again changed it to a monthly called the ''Museum of Foreign Literature and Science'', which was edited during the first year by Robert Walsh, and subsequently by himself and his brother Squier (born in

, 9 December 1803; died in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 4 July 1886). After conducting this with great success for nearly 22 years, he moved to

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. In Boston in April 1844, he began ''Littell's Living Age'', a weekly literary periodical, published from an office at the corner of Bromfield and Tremont Streets.Boston Directory 1852 In 1855 he began the publication in Boston of the ''Panorama of Life and Literature'', a monthly. Littell was the author of the “ Compromise Tariff” which was advocated by

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

and carried through the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

during the administration of President Jackson. He died in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

Family

His brother Squier Littell was a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who eventually became surgeon to the Wills Ophthalmic Hospital of Philadelphia 1834–1864. His brother John Stockton Littell (born in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1806; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 11 July 1875) was an author who published a sketch of the ''Life, Character, and Services of Henry Clay'' and other pieces. Eliakim Littell's grandfather of the same name was a captain in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, and did good service in the defence of Springfield, New Jersey, 4 June 1780. The brothers' cousin William Littell (born in New Jersey about 1780; died in

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

, in 1825) was a lawyer, a member of the Kentucky bar, who for many years reported the decisions of the

court of appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...

of Kentucky. In addition to his legal publications, he wrote ''Festoons of Fancy in Essays, Humorous, Sentimental, and Political, in Prose and Verse''.

Works

* The Museum of Foreign Literature and Science
v.1
(1822). * Eclectic museum of foreign literature, science and art
v.2
(1843). * Living Age
v.60
(1859)
v.99
(1868). Full run available online from Library of Congress

(1844-1900)

Notes

References

Images

Image:1853 Living Age Tremont Street Boston USA GleasonsPictorial.png, Living Age office, Bromfield St., Boston, 1853 Image:1868 LivingAge Boston Littell.png, ''Littell's Living Age,'' 1868 {{DEFAULTSORT:Littell, Eliakim 1870 deaths 1797 births American magazine editors American women magazine editors Writers from Boston 19th-century American people People from Brookline, Massachusetts American publishers (people) 19th-century American businesspeople