J. E. (Joseph Edmund) Collins

Born in Placentia, Newfoundland, on October 22, 1855, Joseph Edmund Collins was a teacher, publisher, journalist, and author who built a remarkably busy career before his death in New York City on February 23, 1892.

He worked in journalism in places including Fredericton, Chatham, and Toronto, and he wrote across several forms rather than staying in one lane. His books include political and historical works such as The Story of Louis Riel and Canada's Patriot Statesman, along with popular fiction including Annette, the Métis Spy and The Four Canadian Highwaymen.

Collins is remembered as an energetic, ambitious figure in 19th-century Canadian letters: a writer drawn to current events, public life, and dramatic storytelling. Even with a life cut short, he left behind a body of work that connects journalism, biography, and adventure fiction in a distinctly Canadian setting.