O. Henry

O. Henry was born as William Sidney Porter during September 11 of 1862. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. His mother died when Porter was at a very young age, leaving him in the care of his grandmother and aunt. At his Aunt Lina's school, Porter received his only means of formal education and acquired his love of reading books.

At the age of fifteen Porter began working at his uncle's drugstore, and at age nineteen he became a licensed pharmacist. He also became known for his sketches and cartoons of the Greensboro townspeople. At twenty, Porter quit his job at the pharmacy and moved to Texas due to poor health. Porter hoped that the change of air would help get rid of a persistent cough he had developed. In Austin, he began work at a sheep ranch, and was later hired at a local bank.

It was during this time that he first started to use his pen-name, said to be derived from Porter often calling “Oh, Henry” the family cat. Though, according to some sources, it was said that Porter got his pen-name from a warder called Orrin Henry. It could also be an abbreviation for the name of a Fench pharmacist, Eteinne-Ossian Henry.

Around this time he married Athol Estes Roach, and had a daughter called Margaret. Athol also gave birth to a son, but he died shortly after birth.

In 1894, Porter was accused by the bank of embezzlement and lost his job. He now worked full time on his humorous weekly called The Rolling Stone, which he started while working at the bank. The Rolling Stone featured articles on life, people and politics. It also included Porter's short stories and sketches. Although reaching a top circulation of 1500, The Rolling Stone failed in April 1895, perhaps because of Porter's making fun of powerful people.

Porter's father-in-law posted bail to keep Porter out of jail, but the day before Porter was due to stand trial on July 7, 1896, he fled to New Orleans and then Honduras, leaving his wife and daughter behind in Austin.

Once news came of his wife's poor health, Porter quickly returned to Texas. His wife died shortly after and Porter's banking charges were proven true, landing him a five-year sentence in jail. This was when he began to write short-stories for money in the hopes of providing for his young daughter. Porter was released from prison two years early, now known solely by the name O. Henry to help keep his identity hidden.

After being released from prison, O. Henry moved to New York City. He married a second time to a woman named Sarah Coleman, but the marriage was unhappy and they separated only a year later. O. Henry died a few years later in June of 1910, at the age of forty-seven. He died an alcoholic, nearly penniless despite his world-wide fame.

O. Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short-stories throughout his lifetime. O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characters and clever surprise endings. Most of his work was based off real troubles and experiences he went through. O. Henry was known as America's number one favorite short-story writer, and remains a popular author to this day. The O. Henry Award is a famous annual prize named after Porter and given to award-winning short stories. Several schools around the country use Porter's pseudonym. In 1952, a movie including five stories, called O. Henry's Full House, was created. The O. Henry House and O. Henry Hall, both located in Austin, Texas, are named for him.