William Douglas O'Connor (January 2 1832May 9 1889) was an American author, known in part for his association with

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

. In 1866 he authored ''The Good Gray Poet'', a pamphlet defending Whitman.

Early and personal life

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 2, 1832, William O'Connor was a son of Peter D. O'Connor and an unknown mother. Little is known about his early childhood other than that he had a disagreement with his father and left the house when he was eight years old. In 1856 he married Ellen M. Tarr; the couple had two children.

Career

In the 1850s he met Sarah Helen Whitman, a poet and romantic interest of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

. Whitman influenced him and O'Connor published several poems similar to Poe's work, and several stories in ''

Putnam's Magazine ''Putnam's Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science and Art'' was a monthly periodical published by G. P. Putnam's Sons featuring American literature and articles on science, art, and politics. Series The magazine had three incarnation ...

'' and ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

''. From 1856 to 1860 he worked at ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. While at the paper he wrote on the Shakespeare authorship question, proposing that

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...

had written some of Shakespeare's works. As part of these efforts, O'Connor defended

Delia Bacon Delia Salter Bacon (February 2, 1811 – September 2, 1859) was an American writer of plays and short stories and Shakespeare scholar. She is best known for her work on the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, which she attributed to social reforme ...

's scholarship on the matter. After his resignation, O'Connor published an antislavery novel, ''Harrington: A Story of True Love,'' in 1860. The same year he met

; the two became close friends. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, O'Connor worked in the

United States Lighthouse Board The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 18 ...

for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

. When Whitman came to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, he lived with O'Connor for several months. O'Connor helped Whitman find employment as a clerk at the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

. He was outraged when James Harlan fired Whitman from the Bureau in 1865 and quickly wrote a pamphlet, titled ''The Good Gray Poet'' (1866), defending Whitman and attacking Harlan. In the years that followed he wrote several other essays in defense of the poet, including "The Carpenter" (1868), which portrayed Whitman as a

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

-like figure. In 1872 the two disagreed over the

Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It wa ...

. O'Connor supported the Amendment, which gave Black men the right to vote, while Whitman opposed it.

Death and legacy

O'Connor died in Washington, D.C., on May 9, 1889. Several of his works were published posthumously in ''The Three Tales''. Whitman wrote a preface to the book.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, William D. American writers 1832 births 1889 deaths Writers from Boston