author
Richard Henry Stoddard
1825–1903
A self-taught poet who rose from poverty and iron-molding to become a respected voice in New York’s literary world. His lyrical poetry, criticism, and editorial work connected him with many of nineteenth-century America’s leading writers.
1 Audiobook
Abraham Lincoln: An Horatian Ode
by Richard Henry Stoddard
About the author
Richard Henry Stoddard was born on July 2, 1825, in Hingham, Massachusetts. After his sea-captain father was lost at sea, Stoddard moved with his mother to New York City, where he worked a series of jobs, including blacksmith and iron moulder, while reading widely and teaching himself literature. He began writing professionally in the 1840s and published his first poetry collections soon afterward.
Stoddard built a long career as a poet, critic, editor, and literary journalist. With help from Nathaniel Hawthorne, he became an inspector at the New York Custom House, a position he held from 1853 to 1870. He later worked as a reviewer for the New York World, served as city librarian, edited The Aldine, and became literary editor of the New York Mail and Express.
His books included Poems, Songs of Summer, The Book of the East, Poets’ Homes, and Recollections, Personal and Literary. Married to the writer Elizabeth Drew Barstow, Stoddard remained active in New York’s literary community until his death on May 12, 1903.