Nathaniel Hawthorne.

On July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne came into a family deeply rooted in the town’s history. His ancestor John Hathorne was a judge in the Salem witch trials, a fact that haunted Hawthorne and led him to add the w to his surname out of guilt. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, graduating in 1825, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824.

Hawthorne published his first novel Fanshawe in 1828, but later tried to suppress it, feeling it did not meet his standards. He found success with Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories published in 1837. The Scarlet Letter followed in 1850, a novel that quickly became a bestseller. He also wrote The House of the Seven Gables 1851 and a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, who became the 14th President. He worked at the Boston Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before his marriage.

Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody in 1842 after a period of engagement. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, and later to Salem, the Berkshires, and finally The Wayside in Concord. They had three children: Una 1844-1877, Julian 1846-1934, and Rose 1851-1926. Julian became a writer, and Rose became a religious sister known as Mother Mary Alphonsa. He was also brother-in-law to education activist Horace Mann.

Herman Melville dedicated Moby-Dick to Hawthorne, directly inspired by Hawthorne’s dark romantic style. In 1900, Hawthorne was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in its inaugural election. A 20-cent commemorative stamp was issued in his honor on July 8, 1983. The Scarlet Letter continues to be taught in high school and college curricula.