American poet, author, social reformer, and diplomat associated with the Romantic movement and the Fireside Poets. His most famous works include A Fable for Critics, The Biglow Papers, and Heartsease and Rue.
He graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
He was an abolitionist, and he also held a political position as an ambassador to Spain.
He wed Maria White in 1844 and had one surviving child. Following his first wife's death, he married Frances Dunlap.
His dialect-heavy dialogue in The Biglow Papers influenced Mark Twain's literary style.
