S. H. (Samuel H.) Hammond

Born in Bath, New York, in 1809, Samuel Haight Hammond built a varied career as a lawyer, newspaper editor, writer, and public figure. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and later served as district attorney of Albany County. He also edited the Albany State Register and was active in New York politics, serving in the state senate in 1860 and 1861.

Hammond is remembered by readers today for his nature writing and frontier sketches, especially Wild Northern Scenes. His writing draws on close observation of the outdoors and life in the North Country, giving it an immediate, lived-in feeling that still makes it appealing.

Over the course of his life, he moved between Bath, Albany, and Watertown, New York, where he died in 1878. His background in law, journalism, and politics gave his books a grounded, practical voice, while his interest in the natural world gave them color and energy.