James Russell Lowell

Author Code: AJRL

Lowell graduated from Harvard in 1838 and took a degree in law in 1840. He published his first poetic work in 1841, A Year's Life and took a job as editor of The Pioneer in 1843. In 1845, he published Conversations on Some of the Old Poets which expressed his anti-slavery and strong abolitionist leanings. Beginning in 1846, Lowell published the Bigelow Papers which were satirical in nature and very popular at the time. In 1848 he produced his Vision of Sir Launfal and Fable for Critics. He toured Italy and England from 1851 to 1852 and published his Leaves From My Italian Journal in 1854. In 1855, he was appointed professor of modern languages at Harvard, a position he would retain for 20 years. In 1857 he also became editor of the new Atlantic Monthly and was instrumental in attracting some of the greatest and gifted of American authors of the time to write for the journal. He edited the North American Review from 1864 to 1872 and published numerous essays on a variety of subjects. In 1876, Lowell became minister to Spain and in 1880, to Great Britain. While in England, he was appointed president of the Wordsworth Society and also president of the Birmingham and Midland Institute. Among his other well-known works are Washers of the Shroud and E Pluribus Unum (1862), Fireside Travels (1864), My Study Windows (1871), Democracy (1884) and Political Essays (1888).