# 4124 - 2007 39c Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
City: New York, NY
Quantity Issued: 30,000,000
Birth Of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The second of eight children, Longfellow began attending school when he was just three years old. He was then sent to a private school at age six, where he was known for being very studious and fond of reading. He published his first poem, “The Battle of Lovell’s Pond,” in 1820.
Longfellow then entered Bowdoin College in 1822, when he was 15. While there he met and befriended fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and future president Franklin Pierce. During his time there, Longfellow published nearly 40 poems. He graduated fourth in his class and delivered the student commencement address.
After graduation, Longfellow was offered the job of Professor of Modern Languages at the college. To prepare, he spent three years in Europe, visiting France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and England. During this time he learned French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, mostly on his own. He also met Washington Irving in Madrid, who was impressed by his work and encouraged him to keep writing.
Longfellow died on March 24, 1882, after suffering from severe stomach pain, later diagnosed as peritonitis. In his final years, he had been translating the poetry of Michelangelo. It was later published in 1883. Longfellow was considered the most popular American poet of his day, with one friend saying, “no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
City: New York, NY
Quantity Issued: 30,000,000
Birth Of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The second of eight children, Longfellow began attending school when he was just three years old. He was then sent to a private school at age six, where he was known for being very studious and fond of reading. He published his first poem, “The Battle of Lovell’s Pond,” in 1820.
Longfellow then entered Bowdoin College in 1822, when he was 15. While there he met and befriended fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and future president Franklin Pierce. During his time there, Longfellow published nearly 40 poems. He graduated fourth in his class and delivered the student commencement address.
After graduation, Longfellow was offered the job of Professor of Modern Languages at the college. To prepare, he spent three years in Europe, visiting France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and England. During this time he learned French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, mostly on his own. He also met Washington Irving in Madrid, who was impressed by his work and encouraged him to keep writing.
Longfellow died on March 24, 1882, after suffering from severe stomach pain, later diagnosed as peritonitis. In his final years, he had been translating the poetry of Michelangelo. It was later published in 1883. Longfellow was considered the most popular American poet of his day, with one friend saying, “no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime.”