author
John Sherburne Sleeper
1794–1878
A sailor turned newspaperman, he drew on more than two decades at sea to write lively maritime tales under the name Hawser Martingale. His career also carried him into public life, including service as mayor of Roxbury.
1 Audiobook
Jack in the Forecastle; or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale
by John Sherburne Sleeper
About the author
Born in Massachusetts in 1794, John Sherburne Sleeper spent 22 years in the merchant marine, working his way up from sailor to shipmaster. Sea experience shaped much of his writing, and he later published fiction and sea stories under the pseudonym Hawser Martingale.
After leaving life at sea, he moved into journalism and newspaper publishing. He worked on papers in Exeter, Lowell, and Boston, and is especially noted for editing the Boston Mercantile Journal, later the Boston Journal, for about two decades.
Sleeper also had a long public career in Massachusetts. He served in the state legislature, took part in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853, and was mayor of Roxbury from 1856 to 1858. His best-known books include Tales of the Ocean, Salt Water Bubbles, Ocean Adventures, and Jack in the Forecastle.