Samuel Stillman Conant (December 11, 1831after January 1885) was an American journalist, author, and literary editor. He edited ''

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...

'' from 1869 to his disappearance in 1885.

Biography

Samuel Stillman Conant was born in

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. A college town, the city is home to Colby College, a New England Small College Athletic Conference, NESCAC college, and Thomas College. As ...

, on December 11, 1831, to

Thomas Jefferson Conant Thomas Jefferson Conant (December 13, 1802 – April 30, 1891) was an American Biblical scholar. Biography Thomas Jefferson Conant was born in Brandon, Vermont on December 13, 1802. Graduating from Middlebury College in 1823, he became tutor in ...

, a reverend, and Hanna O'Brien Conant . His parents were well known biblical scholars. He was educated at

Madison University Madison University is a non-accredited distance learning college located in Gulfport, Mississippi. The state of Mississippi considers Madison an "unapproved" college. Madison is also listed as an unaccredited and/or substandard institution by ...

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York, Madison County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 6,379 at the 2020 census. The town is named after American Founding Father ...

, before spending several years studying across Europe, in cities including

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Conant returned to the United States in 1860, when he entered into the field of journalism. He worked as managing editor of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' from 1862 to 1869, resigning after

Henry Jarvis Raymond Henry Jarvis Raymond (January 24, 1820 – June 18, 1869) was an American journalist, newspaper publisher, and politician who co-founded both the Republican Party and ''The New York Times''. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, the ...

died. In 1875 he published a translation from Russian to English of ''

Circassian Boy Circassian may refer to: * Circassia, a former geographical region located in present-day European Russia, Northern Caucasus ** Circassian coast, on the Black Sea * Circassians, also known as Adyghe people ** Circassian diaspora * Circassian langu ...

'' by

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...

. Conant was one of the most prominent art critics of his era. He published some criticism for ''The Galaxy'' in 1885. He then became managing editor at ''

'', a post he held until he disappeared in January 1885.

Disappearance

Conant left his office on January 16, 1885, and was never heard from again. In 1890, a skeleton was found in Rockaway Beach, Long Island, that was thought by some to be his body.

Personal life

Conant married Helen Charlotte Peters Stevens in 1858; the couple had one child, Thomas Peters. He was a member of the Century Club.

References

{{Authority control 1831 births Conant family Colgate University alumni The New York Times people Harper's Weekly editors Year of death uncertain