Byron J. (Byron Johnson) Rees

Born in 1877, Byron J. Rees—short for Byron Johnson Rees—was an American writer and editor whose published work shows two clear sides of his career. He wrote religious books including The Heart-Cry of Jesus, and he also edited literary volumes such as Nineteenth Century Letters and Modern American Prose Selections.

Title pages and library records identify him as a professor of English at Williams College, suggesting a life spent not only writing but also introducing readers and students to important literature. His books reflect that range: some are devotional and deeply personal in tone, while others are anthologies shaped for study and appreciation.

Rees died in 1920. Although only a small biographical record is easy to confirm today, the works that remain give a clear impression of an author who cared about both spiritual life and the power of well-chosen prose.