Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/142

 HARTE

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HARTl£, .Francis; Bret, author, was boru in Albany. N.Y., Au^. 2."). is:5!>. His father, a i)ro- fessur in the Albany female college, died when the son was a mere lad. leaving his family without an income. In 18.'J4 they removed to California, where Bret was in turn a gold-digger, an express messenger, a school teacher near Sonora, and a type-setter. Drifting to San Fran- cisco in IS")? he found employment as com- positor on the Golden Era. Soon anonymous sketches of mining life began to appear in the paper and when the young " t^po "' was discovered to be the author he was given a desk in the editorial room.

.* ~-^ Subsequently he

was associate editor of a literary weekly called the San Francisco Californian in which his "Condensed Novels" first appeared. This peri- odical had a .short existence. In 1864 he secured appointment as .secretary of the U.S. mint in San Francisco, which post he held till 1870. During this period he contributed poems and sketches to the San Francisco papers, including his " John Bums of Gettysburg."' " The Pliocene Skull," and "The Society upon the Stanislaus." Becoming acquainted with the yoimg men who foimded the Ovfrlnml Monthly he was given the editorial man- agement of the new magazine. The first number, published in July, 1868, contained no distinctively Californian romance, and the editor .set to work to supply the deficiency. As a re.sult " The Luck of Roaring Camp " appeared in the August number. The printer and the proof-reader j)ronoimced the story irreligious and improper and a controversy arose over its publication. The author won the day, making the appearance of his story in the magazine a condition of retaining his editorship. It was indifferently received in California but found favor in the east and brought to him a letter from the publishers of the Atlantic Monthly requesting a similar story. His first sketch in the Atlantic was the " Legend of Monto Diablo." From that time during the brief continuance of his residence in California, stories and poems came rapiilly from his yjen. "The Outca.sts of Poker Hat " was publi.shed in The Overland of January. 186'j; "Miggles." "Tennessee's Part- ner" and *' M'li.ss " followed in .succession and helped to establish his reputation as a writer of short stories. In 1870 he was appointed profe.ssor of recent literature in the University of California,

and in 1871 removed to New York city. He con- tinued ci regular contributor to the Atlantic Monthly and lectured in many places on "The Argonauts of '49," but failed to make much impres.sion in the lecture field. In 1878 he was appointed by President Hayes consul to Crefeld, Germam*, and in 1880 was transferred to Glasgow, Scotland, where he remained till 188.-). A change of admin- istration compelled his retirement and he took up his residence in London, England, devoting his entire time to literature. A complete edition of his stories and poems was brought out in six volumes in 1882. His publications include: Con- densed Xovels (ISGl); Plain Lan(jnafje from Trtith- ful James, popularly called The Heathen Chinee (1870); Po^ms (1881); Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Short Stories (1871); East and West, Poems (1871): Mrs. Skacjfjs's Husbands (1872); Tales of the Argonauts and Other Stories (1875); Tliankful Blossom (1876); Gabriel Conroy, a, novel (1876); Tlie Story of a Mine (1877); Two Men of Sandy Bar, a drama (1877); Drift from Two Shores (1878); The Twins of Table Mountain (1879); Echoes of the Foot Hills (1879); Flip and Found at Blazing Star (1882); In the Carquinez Woods (1883); On the Frontier (1884); By SJiore and Ledge (1885); Maruja: a Xovel (1885); Snoicbound at Eagle's (1886); A Millionaire of Bough and Ready (1887); The Crusade of the Excelsior, a novel (1887); A Phyllis of the Sierras (1887); The Argonauts of North Tiberly (1888); A Waif of the Plains (1890); A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's (1894): Barker's Lvck, and Other Stories (1896); Tliree Partners (1897); Tales of Trail and Town (1898): Stories in Light and Shadow (ls!)s). He died at Red House. Cam- berley. near Aldersliot, England, May 5. 1902.

HARTER, George Abram, educator, was born near Leiter.sburg, Md., Nov. 7, 1853; son of Peter Koontz and Marj' (Poe) Harter; and g^-and- son of George and Elizabeth (Ziegler) Poe and of David and Mary (Koontz) Har- ter. He was grad- uated from St. John's college, Annapolis, Md., A.B., 1878; A.M., 1880, and was assistant professor of mathematics and Latin there, 1878-80: principal of the grammar school at Leitersburg, Md., 1880-81; principal of the high school at Hager.stown, Md.. 1881-85, professor of mathe- matics and modern languages in Delaware college, 1885-88: professor of mathematics and physics

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