author
B. B. (Benjamin Bussey) Thatcher
1809–1840
A promising American writer, editor, and lawyer from Maine, he published lively works on early American history and biography before dying young at just 30. His books range from portraits of Indigenous leaders to a memoir of Phillis Wheatley and stories tied to the Boston Tea Party.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Warren, Maine, on October 8, 1809, Benjamin Bussey Thatcher was the son of Samuel Thatcher of Bangor. He entered Bowdoin College unusually young and graduated in 1826, then studied law in Boston while also building a literary career.
Thatcher wrote across biography, history, and editorial work. His books include Indian Biography, Indian Traits, Traits of the Tea Party, and Memoir of Phillis Wheatley, a Native African and a Slave. He also edited The Boston Book, showing how comfortably he moved between historical writing and the literary culture of his day.
His career was brief but energetic. He died on July 14, 1840, and is remembered as a young nineteenth-century American author whose interests ranged from Revolutionary memory to the lives of notable Native American figures and one of the earliest published biographies of Phillis Wheatley.