author
William Hawley Smith
1845–1922
Best remembered as an educator, lecturer, and novelist, this late-19th-century writer brought big social ideas into fiction. His work ranges from classroom reform and travel writing to early science fiction with a satirical edge.
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About the author
Born in Sunderland, Massachusetts, in 1845, William Hawley Smith grew up in Illinois and graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1870. He began his career in education, teaching school and later serving as county superintendent in McLean County before turning more fully to lecturing and writing.
Smith wrote across several genres, but he is now especially noted for his speculative fiction. His novels The Evolution of "Dodd" and The Promoters have been recognized as early works of American science fiction, while other books such as Walks and Talks, All the Children of All the People, and Children by Chance or by Choice show his interest in education, society, and public debate.
He also moved in literary circles beyond the classroom and lecture hall: records from the Walt Whitman Archive note that he corresponded with Whitman and later published pieces about him. Smith died in Peoria, Illinois, in 1922, leaving behind a body of work that mixes reform-minded thinking, humor, and imaginative storytelling.