William Morton Payne

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1858, he moved to Chicago with his family in 1868 and built nearly his entire career there. Early on he worked at the Chicago Public Library, then spent more than thirty years teaching in Chicago high schools, with subjects including economics, civil government, and American history.

At the same time, he became an important literary voice in the city. He served as literary editor for the Chicago Morning News and the Chicago Evening Journal, and in 1892 became an associate editor of The Dial. He also wrote for magazines such as The Forum, The Bookman, Harper's Weekly, and The Atlantic Monthly.

His criticism ranged widely across English, French, German, Italian, and Scandinavian literature, and he also translated major Scandinavian writers, including Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. Payne died in Chicago in 1919. I couldn’t confirm a suitable portrait image from the pages I checked, so none is included here.