Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter

Born in Littleton, New Hampshire, in 1868, Eleanor H. Porter became one of the most widely read American novelists of the early 20th century. She studied singing at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and built a local reputation as a performer before shifting her focus to writing.

After marrying John Lyman Porter in 1892, she lived in Massachusetts and began publishing stories and novels. Her greatest success came with Pollyanna in 1913, followed by Pollyanna Grows Up. The books were enormously popular and helped make the cheerful, hopeful spirit of their heroine part of everyday language.

Porter also wrote other well-loved novels, including Just David and the Miss Billy books. She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1920, but her work remained influential for generations, especially through the lasting appeal of Pollyanna’s “glad game” and its message of finding light even in hard moments.