The Life and Works of O.Henry

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry's stories.

Born September 11, 1862 as William Sidney Porter, he later changed to his pen name of O. Henry. ^

He spent his childhood in North Carolina. He was formally educated until he dropped out of school at fifteen and became a pharmacist at his uncle's pharmacy.*

At the age of twenty, Porter went to Texas primarily for health reasons, and worked on a sheep ranch. *

He lived with the family of Richard M. Hall, whose family had close ties with the Porters. It was here that O. Henry gained knowledge for ranch life that he later described in many of his most successful short stories. **

In 1884, Porter moved to Austin. **

For the next three years, he roomed in the home of the Joseph Harrell family and held several jobs. It was during this time that Porter first used his pen name, O. Henry, said to be derived from his frequent calling of "Oh, 'Henry'" the family cat.*

By 1887, Porter began working as a draftsman in the General Land Office, then run by his old family friend, Richard Hall. ***

In 1891 at the end of Hall's term at the Land Office, Porter resigned and became a teller with the First National Bank in Austin. ***

He left the bank after a few years and founded the Rolling Stone, an unsuccessful humor weekly. Starting in 1895 he wrote a column for the Houston Daily Post.

Meanwhile, Porter was accused of embezzling funds dating back to his employment at the First National Bank.

Leaving his wife and young daughter in Austin, Porter fled to New Orleans, then to Honduras, but soon returned due to his wife's deteriorating health.**

She died soon afterward, and in early 1898 Porter was found guilty of the banking charges and sentenced to five years in an Ohio prison. **

From this low point in Porter's life, he began a remarkable comeback. Three years and about a dozen short stories later, he emerged from prison as "O. Henry" to help shield his true identity. **

He moved to New York City, where over the next ten years before his death in 1910, he published over 300 stories and gained worldwide acclaim as America's favorite short story writer. **

O. Henry wrote with realistic detail based on his first hand experiences both in Texas and in New York City. In 1907, he published many of his Texas stories in The Heart of the West, a volume that includes "The Reformation of Calliope," "The Caballero's Way," and "The Hiding of Black Bill." Another highly acclaimed Texas writer, J. Frank Dobie, later referred to O. Henry's "Last of the Troubadours" as "the best range story in American fiction." **

The "Gift of the Magi", one of O. Henry's most famous works, was almost victim to his drunkenness and poor professionalism. *

He was always late with his copies, and as the deadline for this story approached his editor and illustrator begged him for at least a hint of what to expect. All he said was ""I'll tell you what to do.... Just draw a picture of a poorly furnished room.... On the bed, a man and a girl are sitting side by side. They are talking about Christmas. The man has a watch fob in his hand.... The girl's principal feature is the long beautiful hair that is hanging down her back. That's all I can think of now, but the story is coming." **

Eventually, the deadline long past, he wrote the story of the desperate girl and boy in three hours, helped along by his habitual bottle of Scotch and his agitated editor who waited on O. Henry's shabby couch for the copy. **

Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York City at the age of forty seven. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless. ^