Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Born in Salem Massachusetts

Jul 4, 1804

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Nathaniel Hawthorne Father dies of yellow fever in Dutch Suriname.

Apr 8, 1808

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Hawthorne entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine

1821

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Hawthorne graduated middle of his class in 1825.

Sep 25, 1825

He wrote, "I do not want to be a doctor and live by men's diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer to live by their quarrels. So, I don't see that there is anything left for me but to be an author."

He published his first novel, Fanshawe: A Tale, at his own expense. Fanshaw was a short, imitation Gothic novel and poorly written.

Jan 1, 1828

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He and Sophia married in Boston on July 9, 1842, and left for Concord, Massachusetts, where they took up residence in the now-famous "Old Manse."

Jul 9, 1842

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His son, Julian, was born in 1846.

Jun 22, 1846

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Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, which won him much fame and greatly increased his reputation. While warmly received here and abroad, The Scarlet Letter sold only 8,000 copies in Hawthorne's lifetime.

1849

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He finished his last novel The Marble Faun.

1860

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In May 1864, he traveled to New Hampshire with his old classmate Pierce in search of improved health. During this trip, he died in his sleep on May 19, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

May 19, 1864

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