Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882 Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night.

Family Named after his mother’s brother who died heroically in the Navy His family was involved as Congressman, Judges, Legislature, and outstanding Military service His family enjoyed reading literature His father wanted him to be a lawyer, but Henry was determined to be a writer and be famous.

Interesting Facts Henry was born in Portland, Maine to Stephen and Zilpah He learned to play the piano and the flute He was 15 when he went to Bowdoin College in Main He was a classmate of Nathanial Hawthorne and Franklin Pierce He went to Europe to prepare himself to be a Professor of Language at Bowdoin

Personal Life Henry married in 1831 but lost his wife and child a few years later. He never recovered. 1836 He took a Smith Professorship at Harvard 1843 He married Frances and they have 3 daughters and 2 sons

Personal Life 1861 Frances died while sealing a letter with candle wax. Her dress caught fire. Henry tried to save her and was burned badly himself

Expressions that came from Longfellow “footprints on the sands of time” from A Psalm of Life “into each life some rain must fall” from The Rainy Day