Hamilton Wright MabieHamilton Wright Mabie was born on December 13, 1846, in Cold Spring, New York, as the youngest child in a family with Scots-Dutch and Scottish-English ancestry. His early years were shaped by a family move to Buffalo during the development of the Erie Canal. Although he passed college entrance exams at sixteen, he began his studies at Williams College a year later, graduating in 1867 before attending Columbia Law School in 1869. Though he passed the bar, he disliked both studying and practicing law. Mabie found his calling in literature, joining the Christian Union in 1879, where he worked until his death. He became associate editor in 1884 and was elected to the Author's Club, sharing membership with well-known literary figures. His first book, My Study Fire, came out in 1890, and his essays explored life, literature, and nature. Mabie also held honorary degrees from multiple universities and was the first president of the North American Interfraternity Conference. He lived in Summit, New Jersey, where he died on December 31, 1916, and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Read More Read Less