Nathaniel C. "Nat" Burbank (April 14, 1838 – January 10, 1901) was an American humorist, drama critic, and newspaper editor who for over 20 years was managing editor of the New Orleans ''

Picayune A picayune was a Spanish coin, worth half a real or one sixteenth of a dollar. Its name derives from the French ''picaillon'', which is itself from the Provençal ''picaioun'', the name of an unrelated small copper coin from Savoy. By extension, ...

''. Born in

Parsonsfield, Maine Parsonsfield is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was just 1,791 at the 2020 census. Parsonsfield includes the villages of Kezar Falls, Parsonsfield, and North, East and South Parsonsfield. It is part of the Portland& ...

, at age fourteen he became a printer's apprentice in Dover, New Hampshire. After three years he moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to continue as a printer. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he served in Massachusetts and Louisiana, later under General Winfield Scott Hancock, achieving the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. Burbank resigned at the end of the war and joined the staff of the ''New Orleans Republican'', where he first became known for humorous writing that was quoted in newspapers throughout the country. In 1878 he joined the editorial staff of the ''Picayune'', and on November 9, 1882, married Ella Burbank, daughter of a wealthy Louisiana planter. He died of acute heart disease in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

in 1901.

References

1838 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of Louisiana newspapers People from Parsonsfield, Maine American humorists American theater critics Union Army officers {{US-journalist-19thC-stub