James Russell Lowell
A Brahmin poet and sharp-tongued critic who used his pen to champion abolition and later served as a shrewd American diplomat in Europe.
1819–1891 (age 72)·American poet and diplomat·Birthday: February 22
Biography
James Russell Lowell moved effortlessly from the fireside to the diplomatic chamber, embodying the public intellectual in 19th-century America. Scion of a prominent Cambridge family, he found early fame as a poet and essayist, his work often laced with humor and Yankee dialect. He took over the editorship of The Atlantic Monthly in 1857, transforming it into a powerhouse of literary and political opinion. Under his guidance, the magazine became a fierce and uncompromising voice against slavery. Lowell's second act was in service of the nation he helped define. Appointed Minister to Spain and later to the Court of St. James's, he proved an adept and popular diplomat, his wit and literary reputation opening doors in European high society. He navigated complex post-Civil War relations with Britain with grace, arguing for American copyright law and fostering transatlantic cultural ties. In Lowell, the moral force of New England letters found a practical outlet on the world stage.
#1 When James Was Born
The biggest hits of 1819
James's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1819Born
1824Started school
1832Became a teenager
1835Could drive
1837Could vote
1840Turned 21
1849Turned 30
1859Turned 40
1869Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 60
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 70
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1891Died at 72
President: Benjamin Harrison
Key Achievements
- Served as the first editor of The Atlantic Monthly, shaping its voice and establishing it as a major anti-slavery publication.
- Appointed U.S. Minister to Spain (1877-1880) and later to the United Kingdom (1880-1885), where he was a highly effective diplomat.
- Co-founded the literary magazine The Pioneer and was a leading member of the 'Fireside Poets,' who dominated American poetry in his era.
Did You Know?
He was part of the famous Saturday Club, a dining and intellectual society in Boston that included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
He wrote the poem 'The Present Crisis,' which later inspired the title of the NAACP's magazine, The Crisis.
While in England, he became close friends with the novelist Henry James and was a popular figure on the London lecture circuit.
“The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion.”
