George Edward Woodberry

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1855, George Edward Woodberry studied at Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard, graduating in 1877 after a break caused by poor health. Early in his career he taught at the University of Nebraska and also worked as an editor for The Nation, while contributing to major magazines including The Atlantic Monthly and Harper's.

Woodberry became especially known as a literary critic and poet. His book on Edgar Allan Poe helped establish him as an important voice in American literary study, and he also wrote on art and culture, including History of Wood-Engraving. From 1891 to 1904 he taught at Columbia University, where he held a prominent place in the study of literature.

Alongside his criticism, he continued to publish poetry and prose marked by seriousness, reflection, and a deep interest in beauty and national culture. He died in 1930, and he is remembered as one of the notable American men of letters of his era.