John Greenleaf Whittier

About

Nineteenth-century American Fireside Poet and abolitionist whose best-known poems include "Snow-Bound" and "The Brewing of Soma." He also wrote the lyrics to the popular hymn "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind."

Before Fame

He published his first poem in the Newburyport Free Press when he was only eighteen years old.

Trivia

His poems are remembered for their Quaker themes.

Family Life

He was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts to Abigail and John Whittier. He and his two sisters and one brother grew up on a Massachusetts farm.

Associated With

Poet Robert Burns was Whittier's most significant literary influence.