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O. Henry Biography

William Sidney Porter, known by his pen name O. Henry, was born in 1862 in North Carolina. He had a varied career, working on a ranch, in Texas land offices, and as a bank teller before being convicted of embezzlement in 1894. During his five-year prison sentence in Ohio, he began writing short stories under the name O. Henry, creating classics with twist endings like "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief." After his release, he moved to New York City and enjoyed success as a writer until his death in 1910.

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3K views1 page

O. Henry Biography

William Sidney Porter, known by his pen name O. Henry, was born in 1862 in North Carolina. He had a varied career, working on a ranch, in Texas land offices, and as a bank teller before being convicted of embezzlement in 1894. During his five-year prison sentence in Ohio, he began writing short stories under the name O. Henry, creating classics with twist endings like "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief." After his release, he moved to New York City and enjoyed success as a writer until his death in 1910.

Uploaded by

fernando_velasco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

O.

Henry
Biography
Was born William Sidney Porter on September

B IOGRAPH 11, 1862, near Greensboro, North Carolina. He


worked on a ranch as a sheep herder, before
making his way to Austin in 1884. He met

Y Athol Estes Roach in Cotulla, and he shared an


affinity for singing and playing music.
That same year, Porter got a job as a draftsman at the Texas General Land
Office. Athol gave birth to a daughter named Margaret. Porter family moved
into the Queen Anne-style cottage that now serves as the O. Henry Museum.
Business was conducted in a fast and loose manner, this led to
inconsistencies in Porter's books, which were revealed when a federal
banking examiner arrived on the scene in 1894. Porter had siphoned money
for his personal use.
Porter was convicted of embezzlement, and in
1898 he began a five-year sentence in federal
prison in Columbus, Ohio. During this time,
Porter assumed the pen name O. Henry and set
about transforming himself into classics as "Gifts
of the Magi," "The Ransom of Red Chief," and
"The Cop and the Anthem."
Upon his release from prison, Porter relocated to
New York City, where he enjoyed a considerable
amount of success before succumbing to
cirrhosis. On June 5, 1910, Porter's stories,
known for their twist endings, continue to
resonate with readers around the world.

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