Odell Shepard

Born in Sterling, Illinois, on July 22, 1884, he became a teacher, poet, biographer, and public figure whose career was rooted in literature but never limited to the classroom. He graduated from Harvard University, later taught English at Yale University, and then spent many years as a professor of English at Trinity College.

His best-known book is Pedlar's Progress: The Life of Bronson Alcott (1937), which won the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. He also edited works by Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and wrote books including The Lore of the Unicorn, showing the wide range of his interests.

Beyond writing and teaching, he entered politics and served as the 86th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1941 to 1943. He died in New London, Connecticut, on July 19, 1967, leaving behind a life that joined literary curiosity, New England culture, and civic engagement.