author

William Henry Hurlbert

1827–1895

A sharp, restless journalist moved through the great political storms of the 19th century and later became linked to one of American history’s most intriguing anonymous memoirs. His life blended newspaper drama, travel, and literary mystery.

3 Audiobooks

France and the Republic A Record of Things Seen and Learned in the French Provinces During the 'Centennial' Year 1889

France and the Republic A Record of Things Seen and Learned in the French Provinces During the 'Centennial' Year 1889

by William Henry Hurlbert

Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2) (2nd ed.) (1888)

Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2) (2nd ed.) (1888)

by William Henry Hurlbert

Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2) (2nd ed.) (1888)

Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2) (2nd ed.) (1888)

by William Henry Hurlbert

About the author

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1827, William Henry Hurlbert studied at Harvard College and Harvard Divinity School before turning from the ministry toward writing and journalism. Early in his career he preached for a time, traveled in Europe, and began building a reputation as a lively man of letters.

Hurlbert went on to work in New York journalism and became editor in chief of the New York World from 1876 to 1883. During the Civil War era he was known for his antislavery views, and one account notes that he was arrested and imprisoned in Richmond in 1861. He also wrote books and essays, bringing a literary style to political commentary and public affairs.

He is now often remembered for his connection to The Diary of a Public Man, a work published anonymously in 1879 and long debated by historians. Modern scholarship has strongly linked him to that mysterious text, giving his career an added afterlife as both a newspaperman and a figure in one of the more curious authorship puzzles of 19th-century America.