author
Henry Eduard Legler
1861–1917
An Italian-born writer, librarian, and public historian, he helped shape library service in Wisconsin and Chicago while writing lively works on Midwestern history. His books often bring early Wisconsin and regional legend into sharp, readable focus.
2 Audiobooks
Library Ideals
by Henry Eduard Legler
Walt Whitman, Yesterday & Today
by Henry Eduard Legler
About the author
Born in Palermo on June 22, 1861, Henry Eduard Legler came to the United States as a child and grew up in Wisconsin. Over the course of his career he worked as a journalist, served in the Wisconsin Assembly, and became an influential library leader.
Legler is especially remembered for his work with the Wisconsin Free Library Commission and later as chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1909 until his death in 1917. He believed strongly in making books and learning more widely available, and his public service ran alongside his writing.
As an author, he wrote and edited books rooted in Wisconsin and Great Lakes history, including Leading Events of Wisconsin History and Narratives of Early Wisconsin Travellers, Prior to 1800. His work blends the instincts of a librarian and a storyteller: careful with sources, but always aiming to make the past interesting for ordinary readers.