C. Edwards (Charles Edwards) Lester

Born around 1815, C. Edwards Lester built a varied career as an American author, journalist, and diplomat. He wrote under the name Charles Edwards Lester and became known for books that blended biography, history, religion, travel, and public affairs.

His writing life was wide-ranging. He published works on major public figures and historical subjects, and later wrote large-scale national history, including Our First Hundred Years: The Life of the Republic of the United States of America. That mix of literary ambition and civic interest helped make him a recognizable man of letters in the 1800s.

Lester also served as a diplomat, a role that matched the outward-looking character of his work. He died in 1890, leaving behind a body of writing that reflects the strong moral energy, political curiosity, and historical enthusiasm of 19th-century American publishing.