James Parton (February 9, 1822 – October 17, 1891) was an English-born American biographer who wrote books on the lives of

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Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

, and contributed three biographies to ''Eminent Women of the Age''.

Biography

Parton was born in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, England, in 1822. He was taken to the United States when he was five years old, studied in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

, and was a schoolmaster in Philadelphia and then in New York. He moved to

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...

, where he died on October 17, 1891. Parton was the most popular biographer of his day in America. Parton's nonfiction combined elements of novel writing, which made his books quite popular.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

once thanked him "for the pleasure you have given me in biographical works which you have had the faculty of making more interesting than romance—(let me trust it is not by making them in part works of imagination)." His first wife, Sara (1811–1872), sister of

Nathaniel Parker Willis Nathaniel Parker Willis (January 20, 1806 – January 20, 1867), also known as N. P. Willis,Baker, 3 was an American writer, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfello ...

, and widow of Charles H. Eldredge (d. 1846), attained considerable popularity as a writer under the pen name Fanny Fern. They were married in 1856. Her works include the novels, '' Ruth Hall'' (1854), reminiscent of her own life, and ''Rose Clark'' (1857); and several volumes of sketches and stories. In 1876 Parton married Ellen Willis Eldredge, his first wife's daughter by her first husband, Charles Eldredge. With Ellen (and previously Fanny Fern), he raised Ethel, the daughter of Grace Eldredge (Fanny Fern's daughter) and writer Mortimer Thomson (also known as Philander Doesticks). Although never legally adopted by Parton, she took his last name upon reaching her majority. Ethel Parton became a famous writer of children's books about 19th-century life in Newburyport, MA, published in the 1930s and 1940s. James and Ellen had two children, Hugo and Mabel. Hugo's children, who constitute James Parton's legal and genetic grandchildren, were * James Parton (1912–2001), founder and publisher of the magazines '' American Heritage'' and ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

'' * Nike Parton (1922–2005), a prominent Florida artist.

Selected works

*''Life of

'' (1855) *''Life and Times of

'' (1857) *''Life of

'' (1859–1860) 3 volumes *'' General Butler in New Orleans: History of the Administration of the Department of the Gulf in the Year 1862: With an Account of the Capture of New Orleans, and a Sketch of the Previous Career of the General, Civil and Military'' (1864) *''Life and Times of

'' (1864) *''Famous Americans of Recent Times'' (1867)
''Eminent Women of the Age; Being Narratives of the Lives and Deeds of the Most Prominent Women of the Present Generation'' (1868)
(Forty-seven biographies of women, of which Parton wrote four:

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

, Mrs. Frances Anne Kemble, Jenny Lind Goldschmidt, and Victoria, Queen of England.) *''The People's Book of Biography'' (1868) *''Life of

'' (1874) *''Life of

'' (1881) *''Noted Women of Europe and America: Authors, Artists, Reformers, and Heroines. Queens, Princesses, and Women of Society. Women Eccentric and Peculiar. From the Most Recent and Authentic Sources'' (1883) *''Captains of Industry'' (two series, 1884 and 1891)

References

External links

* * * * http://www.answers.com/topic/parton-james {{DEFAULTSORT:Parton, James 1822 births 1891 deaths Writers from Canterbury 19th-century American biographers Writers from Newburyport, Massachusetts 19th-century American male writers American male biographers English emigrants to the United States