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O.Henry.

WilliamSydneyPorter

(September11,1862–June5,1910),knownbyhis

penname

O.Henry,wasanAmericanwriter.O.Henry'sshortstoriesareknownfortheirwit,wordplay,warmcharacterizationandclevertwistendings.

Earlylife

WilliamSidneyPorterwasbornonSeptember11,1862,in

Greensboro,NorthCarolina.HechangedthespellingofhismiddlenametoSydneyin1898.HisparentswereDr.AlgernonSidneyPorter(1825–88),aphysician,andMaryJaneVirginiaSwaimPorter(1833–65).TheyweremarriedonApril20,1858.WhenWilliamwasthree,hismotherdiedfrom

tuberculosis,andheandhisfathermovedintothehomeofhispaternalgrandmother.Asachild,Porterwasalwaysreading,everythingfromclassicsto

dimenovels;hisfavoriteworkswere

Lane'stranslationof

OneThousandandOneNights,and

Burton's

AnatomyofMelancholy.[2]

PortergraduatedfromhisauntEvelinaMariaPorter'selementaryschoolin1876.HethenenrolledattheLindseyStreetHighSchool.Hisauntcontinuedtotutorhimuntilhewasfifteen.In1879,hestartedworkinginhisuncle's

drugstore

andin1881,attheageofnineteen,hewaslicensedasa

pharmacist.Atthedrugstore,healsoshowedoffhisnaturalartistictalentsbysketchingthetownsfolk.

MovetoTexas

PorterinAustinasayoungman

PortertraveledwithDr.JamesK.Hallto

Texas

inMarch1882,hopingthatachangeofairwouldhelpalleviateapersistentcoughhehaddeveloped.HetookupresidenceonthesheepranchofRichardHall,James'son,in

LaSalleCounty

andhelpedoutasashepherd,ranchhand,cookandbaby-sitter.Whileontheranch,helearnedbitsof

Spanish

and

German

fromthemixof

immigrant

ranchhands.Healsospenttimereadingclassicliterature.Porter'shealthdidimproveandhetraveledwithRichardto

Austin

in1884,wherehedecidedtoremainandwaswelcomedintothehomeoftheHarrells,whowerefriendsofRichard's.Portertookanumberofdifferentjobsoverthenextseveralyears,firstaspharmacistthenasadraftsman,

bankteller

and

journalist.Healsobeganwritingasasideline.

PorterledanactivesociallifeinAustin,includingmembershipinsinginganddramagroups.Hewasagoodsingerandmusician.Heplayedboththe

guitar

andmandolin.Hebecameamemberofthe"HillCity

Quartet,"agroupofyoungmenwhosangatgatheringsandserenadedyoungwomenofthetown.Portermetandbegancourting

AtholEstes,thenseventeenyearsoldandfromawealthyfamily.HermotherobjectedtothematchbecauseAtholwasill,sufferingfrom

tuberculosis.OnJuly1,1887,Porter

eloped

withAtholtothehomeofReverendR.K.Smoot,wheretheyweremarried.

Porterfamilyinearly1890s—Athol,daughterMargaret,William

Thecouplecontinuedtoparticipateinmusicalandtheatergroups,andAtholencouragedherhusbandtopursuehiswriting.Atholgavebirthtoasonin1888,whodiedhoursafterbirth,andthenadaughter,MargaretWorthPorter,inSeptember1889.Porter'sfriendRichardHallbecameTexasLandCommissionerandofferedPorterajob.PorterstartedasadraftsmanattheTexasGeneralLandOffice(GLO)in1887atasalaryof$100amonth,drawing

maps

from

surveys

andfieldnotes.Thesalarywasenoughtosupporthisfamily,buthecontinuedhiscontributionstomagazinesandnewspapers.

PorterasaclerkattheFirstNationalBank,Austin

Inthe

GLObuilding,hebegandevelopingcharactersandplotsforsuchstoriesas"Georgia'sRuling"(1900),and"BuriedTreasure"(1908).Thecastle-likebuildingheworkedinwasevenwovenintosomeofhistalessuchas"BexarScripNo.2692"(1894).

HisjobattheGLOwasapoliticalappointmentbyHall.Hallranforgovernorintheelectionof1890butlost.Porterresignedinearly1891whenthenewgovernor,

JimHogg,wasswornin.

Thesameyear,PorterbeganworkingattheFirstNationalBankofAustinasatellerandbookkeeperatthesamesalaryhehadmadeattheGLO.ThebankwasoperatedinformallyandPorterwasapparentlycarelessinkeepinghisbooksandmayhaveembezzledfunds.In1894,hewasaccusedbythebankof

embezzlement

andlosthisjobbutwasnotindicted.

Hethenworkedfull-timeonhishumorousweeklycalled

TheRollingStone,whichhestartedwhileworkingatthebank.

TheRollingStone

featuredsatireonlife,peopleandpoliticsandincludedPorter'sshortstoriesandsketches.Althougheventuallyreachingatopcirculationof1500,

TheRollingStone

failedinApril1895sincethepaperneverprovidedanadequateincome.However,hiswritinganddrawingshadcaughttheattentionoftheeditoratthe

HoustonPost.

Porterandhisfamilymovedto

Houston

in1895,wherehestartedwritingforthe

Post.Hissalarywasonly$25amonth,butitrosesteadilyashispopularityincreased.Portergatheredideasforhiscolumnbyloiteringinhotellobbiesandobservingandtalkingtopeoplethere.Thiswasatechniqueheusedthroughouthiswritingcareer.

WhilehewasinHouston,theFirstNationalBankofAustinwasauditedbyfederalauditorsandtheyfoundtheembezzlementshortagesthathadledtohisfiring.Afederalindictmentfollowedandhewasarrestedonchargesofembezzlement.

Flightandreturn

Porterinhis30s

Porter'sfather-in-lawpostedbailtokeephimoutofjail.HewasduetostandtrialonJuly7,1896,butthedaybefore,ashewaschangingtrainstogettothecourthouse,animpulsehithim.Hefled,firstto

NewOrleansandlaterto

Honduras.Whileholedupina

Trujillo

hotelforseveralmonths,hewrote

CabbagesandKings,inwhichhecoinedtheterm"bananarepublic"todescribethecountry,aphrasesubsequentlyusedwidelytodescribeasmall,unstabletropicalnationinLatinAmericawithanarrowlyfocused,agrarianeconomy.[3]

PorterhadsentAtholandMargaretbacktoAustintolivewithAthol'sparents.Unfortunately,AtholbecametooilltomeetPorterinHondurasasPorterhadplanned.Whenhelearnedthathiswifewasdying,PorterreturnedtoAustininFebruary1897andsurrenderedtothecourt,pendingan

appeal.Onceagain,Porter'sfather-in-lawpostedbailsoPortercouldstaywithAtholandMargaret.

AtholEstesPorterdiedonJuly25,1897,fromtuberculosis(thenknownasconsumption).Porter,havinglittletosayinhisowndefense,wasfoundguiltyofembezzlementinFebruary1898,sentencedtofiveyearsinprison,andimprisonedonMarch25,1898atthe

OhioPenitentiary

in

Columbus,Ohio.Whileinprison,Porter,asalicensedpharmacist,workedintheprisonhospitalasthenightdruggist.Porterwasgivenhisownroominthehospitalwing,andthereisnorecordthatheactuallyspenttimeinthecellblockoftheprison.Hehadfourteenstoriespublishedundervarious

pseudonyms

whilehewasinprison,butwasbecomingbestknownas"O.Henry",apseudonymthatfirstappearedoverthestory"WhistlingDick'sChristmasStocking"intheDecember1899issueof

McClure'sMagazine.AfriendofhisinNewOrleanswouldforwardhisstoriestopublishers,sotheyhadnoideathewriterwasimprisoned.PorterwasreleasedonJuly24,1901,forgoodbehaviorafterservingthreeyears.PorterreunitedwithhisdaughterMargaret,nowage11,in

Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,whereAthol'sparentshadmovedafterPorter'sconviction.Margaretwasnevertoldthatherfatherhadbeeninprison—justthathehadbeenawayonbusiness.

Laterlife

Porter'smostprolificwritingperiodstartedin1902,whenhemovedto

NewYorkCity

tobenearhispublishers.Whilethere,hewrote381shortstories.Hewroteastoryaweekforoverayearforthe

NewYorkWorldSundayMagazine.Hiswit,characterization,andplottwistswereadoredbyhisreaders,butoftenpannedbycritics.Portermarriedagainin1907,tochildhoodsweetheartSarah(Sallie)LindseyColeman,whomhemetagainafterrevisitinghisnativestateofNorthCarolina.

Porterwasaheavydrinker,andhishealthdeterioratedmarkedlyin1908,whichaffectedhiswriting.In1909,Sarahlefthim,andhediedonJune5,1910,of

cirrhosisoftheliver,complicationsof

diabetes,andanenlargedheart.AfterfuneralservicesinNewYorkCity,hewasburiedinthe

RiversideCemetery

in

Asheville,NorthCarolina.Hisdaughter,MargaretWorthPorter,whodiedin1927,wasburiednexttoherfather.

Stories

PortraitofPorterfromfrontispieceinhiscollectionofshortstories

WaifsandStrays

O.Henry'sstoriesfrequentlyhavesurpriseendings.Inhisday,hewascalledtheAmericananswerto

GuydeMaupassant.Bothauthorswroteplottwistendings,butO.Henrystoriesweremuchmoreplayful.Hisstoriesarealsoknownforwittynarration.

MostofO.Henry'sstoriesaresetinhisowntime,theearly20thcentury.ManytakeplaceinNewYorkCityanddealforthemostpartwithordinarypeople:clerks,policemen,waitresses,etc.

O.Henry'sworkiswide-ranging,andhischaracterscanbefoundroamingthecattle-landsofTexas,exploringtheartofthecon-man,orinvestigatingthetensionsofclassandwealthinturn-of-the-centuryNewYork.O.Henryhadaninimitablehandforisolatingsomeelementofsocietyanddescribingitwithanincredibleeconomyandgraceoflanguage.Someofhisbestandleast-knownworkiscontainedin

CabbagesandKings,

aseriesofstorieseachofwhichexploressomeindividualaspectoflifeinaparalyticallysleepyCentralAmericantown,whileadvancingsomeaspectofthelargerplotandrelatingbackonetoanother.

CabbagesandKings

washisfirstcollectionofstories,followedby

TheFourMillion.Thesecondcollectionopenswithareferenceto

WardMcAllister's"assertionthattherewereonly'FourHundred'peopleinNewYorkCitywhowerereallyworthnoticing.Butawisermanhasarisen—the

census

taker—andhislargerestimateofhumaninteresthasbeenpreferredinmarkingoutthefieldoftheselittlestoriesofthe'FourMillion.'"ToO.Henry,everyoneinNewYorkcounted.

Hehadanobviousaffectionforthecity,whichhecalled"Bagdad-on-the-Subway,"[4]

andmanyofhisstoriesaresetthere—whileothersaresetinsmalltownsorinothercities.

Amonghismostfamousstoriesare:

"TheGiftoftheMagi"aboutayoungcouplewhoareshortofmoneybutdesperatelywanttobuyeachotherChristmasgifts.UnbeknownsttoJim,Dellasellshermostvaluablepossession,herbeautifulhair,inordertobuyaplatinumfobchainforJim'swatch;whileunbeknownsttoDella,Jimsellshisownmostvaluablepossession,hiswatch,tobuyjeweledcombsforDella'shair.Theessentialpremiseofthisstoryhasbeencopied,re-worked,parodied,andotherwisere-toldcountlesstimesinthecenturysinceitwaswritten.

"TheRansomofRedChief",inwhichtwomenkidnapaboyoften.Theboyturnsouttobesobrattyandobnoxiousthatthedesperatemenultimatelypaytheboy'sfather$250totakehimback.

"TheCopandtheAnthem"aboutaNewYorkCity

hobo

named

Soapy,whosetsouttogetarrestedsothathecanbeaguestofthecityjailinsteadofsleepingoutinthecoldwinter.Despiteeffortsatpettytheft,vandalism,disorderlyconduct,and"mashing"withayoungprostitute,Soapyfailstodrawtheattentionofthepolice.Disconsolate,hepausesinfrontofachurch,whereanorganantheminspireshimtocleanuphislife—andisironicallychargedfor

loitering

andsentencedtothreemonthsinprison.

"ARetrievedReformation",whichtellsthetaleofsafecrackerJimmyValentine,recentlyfreedfromprison.Hegoestoatownbanktocaseitbeforeherobsit.Ashewalkstothedoor,hecatchestheeyeofthebanker'sbeautifuldaughter.TheyimmediatelyfallinloveandValentinedecidestogiveuphiscriminalcareer.Hemovesintothetown,takinguptheidentityofRalphSpencer,ashoemaker.Justasheisabouttoleavetodeliverhisspecializedtoolstoanoldassociate,alawmanwhorecognizeshimarrivesatthebank.Jimmyandhisfiancéeandherfamilyareatthebank,inspectinganewsafe,whenachildaccidentallygetslockedinsidetheairtightvault.Knowingitwillsealhisfate,Valentineopensthesafetorescuethechild.However,muchtoValentine'ssurprise,thelawmandeniesrecognizinghimandletshimgo.

"TheDuplicityofHargraves".Ashortstoryaboutanearlydestitutefatheranddaughter'striptoWashington,D.C.

Penname

Portergavevariousexplanationsfortheoriginofhispenname.[5]

In1909hegaveaninterviewto

TheNewYorkTimes,inwhichhegaveanaccountofit:

ItwasduringtheseNewOrleansdaysthatIadoptedmypennameofO.Henry.Isaidtoafriend:"I'mgoingtosendoutsomestuff.Idon'tknowifitamountstomuch,soIwanttogetaliteraryalias.Helpmepickoutagoodone."Hesuggestedthatwegetanewspaperandpickanamefromthefirstlistofnotablesthatwefoundinit.Inthesocietycolumnswefoundtheaccountofafashionableball."Herewehaveournotables,"saidhe.WelookeddownthelistandmyeyelightedonthenameHenry,"That'lldoforalastname,"saidI."Nowforafirstname.Iwantsomethingshort.Noneofyourthree-syllablenamesforme.""Whydon’tyouuseaplaininitialletter,then?"askedmyfriend."Good,"saidI,"Oisabouttheeasiestletterwritten,andOitis."

AnewspaperoncewroteandaskedmewhattheOstandsfor.Ireplied,"OstandsforOlivier,theFrenchforOliver."AndseveralofmystoriesaccordinglyappearedinthatpaperunderthenameOlivierHenry.[6]

Intheintroductionto

TheWorldofO.Henry:RoadsofDestinyandOtherStories

(Hodder&Stoughton,1973),WilliamTrevor

writesthatwhenPorterwasintheOhioStatePenitentiary"therewasaprisonguardnamedOrrinHenry,whomWilliamSydneyPorter.

.

.immortalisedasO.Henry".

Thewriterandscholar

GuyDavenport

offersanotherexplanation:"[T]hepseudonymthathebegantowriteunderinprisonisconstructedfromthefirsttwolettersof

Ohio

andthesecondandlasttwoof

penitentiary

[boldadded]."[5]

Legacy

The

O.HenryAward

isaprestigiousannualprizenamedafterPorterandgiventooutstandingshortstories.SeveralschoolsaroundthecountrybearPorter'spseudonym.

In1952,afilmfeaturingfivestories,called

O.Henry'sFullHouse,wasmade.Theepisodegarneringthemostcriticalacclaim[citationneeded]

was"TheCopandtheAnthem"starring

CharlesLaughton

and

MarilynMonroe.Theotherstoriesare"TheClarionCall","TheLastLeaf","TheRansomofRedChief"(starring

FredAllen

and

OscarLevant),and"TheGiftoftheMagi".

The

O.HenryHouse

and

O.HenryHall,bothin

Austin,Texas,arenamedforhim.O.