Edgar Wilson "Bill" Nye (August 25, 1850February 22, 1896) was an American

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

. He was also the founder and editor of the ''

Laramie Boomerang The ''Laramie Boomerang'', formerly the ''Laramie Daily Boomerang'', is a newspaper in Laramie, Wyoming, USA. History The newspaper was established in March 1881 by American humorist Edgar Wilson ("Bill") Nye, who named the paper after his mule ...

''.

Biography

Nye was born in

Shirley, Maine Shirley is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Shirley, Massachusetts. The population was 251 at the 2020 census. It was the birthplace of humorist Bill Nye. Geography According to the United States Cen ...

. His parents removed to a farm on the St. Croix river in northern Wisconsin in 1852, and he was educated at

River Falls, Wisconsin River Falls is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, Pierce and St. Croix County, Wisconsin, St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is adjacent to the River Falls (town), Wisconsin, Town of River Falls in Pierce County and the Kinnic ...

, where he studied law. He moved to

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The boun ...

, and was admitted to the bar at Laramie City, Wyoming Territory in 1876. There he served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

superintendent of schools In the American education system, a superintendent or superintendent of schools is an administrator or manager in charge of a number of public schools or a school district, a local government body overseeing public schools. All school principa ...

, member of the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

and

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. He began early to contribute humorous sketches to the newspapers, using the pen name of "Bill Nye" after a character in a famous poem by

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

popularly known as "

The Heathen Chinee "The Heathen Chinee", originally published as "Plain Language from Truthful James", is a narrative poem by American writer Bret Harte. It was published for the first time in September 1870 in the '' Overland Monthly''.Railton, StephenHarte: "The ...

". He was connected with various western journals, and afterward settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The ''Boomerang'' was founded while Nye was the postmaster of Laramie. It launched him to national fame, gaining subscribers in every state and some foreign countries. In 1892, he wrote in ''

The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associatio ...

'': Some of his works include ''Bill Nye's Comic History of the United States'', ''Baled Hay'', ''Remarks'', ''Bill Nye and Boomerang'', ''Bill Nye's History of England'', and ''Bill Nye's Red Book''. He is credited with the remark "Wagner's music is better than it sounds.". Late in his career, he was briefly associated with

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

with whom he wrote two books. They also appeared together on the lecture circuit. He also traveled and lectured with

Luther Burbank Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations inc ...

. He passed the later years of his life in Arden, North Carolina where he died of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, and was buried in Calvary Episcopal Churchyard in Fletcher, Henderson County, North Carolina. A historical marker honoring him is located in

St. Croix County, Wisconsin St. Croix County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,536. Its county seat is Hudson. The county was created in 1840 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1849. St. Croix County ...

, between the towns of Roberts and River Falls, and a second is located in Fletcher, North Carolina. A small monument marks his birthplace in Shirley, Maine.

Gallery

File:Nye and Riley's Railway Guide cover.jpg, Cover, ''Nye and Riley's Railway Guide'' (1888), written by Nye and

File:009-Contents.jpg, Illustration by F. Opper, ''Bill Nye's Comic History of the United States'' (1894) File:0-cover-Bill Nye Comic History of England.jpg, Cover, ''Bill Nye's Comic History of England'' (1896), illustrated by F. Opper

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Readings of Bill Nye stories
at Mister Ron's Basement podcast, indexed (ronevry.com) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nye, Edgar Wilson 1850 births 1896 deaths American humorists Neurological disease deaths in North Carolina Infectious disease deaths in North Carolina Deaths from meningitis People from Laramie, Wyoming People from Piscataquis County, Maine People from River Falls, Wisconsin Writers from Maine Writers from Wisconsin Writers from Wyoming 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers