O. HENRY

O. Henry (1862–1910) Born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro , North Carolina , Porter spent his early years as a reporter, columnist, and the publisher of a humorous weekly called The Rolling Stone. After fleeing to Central America to avoid trial for embezzlement, Porter returned to Austin , Texas when he learned his wife was dying. During his three years in prison he began writing short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. Upon his release from prison in 1901 Porter changed his name to O. Henry.  He moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World. During his lifetime O. Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short stories, including Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Four Million (1906), which included his well-known stories “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room.” Said to drink an average of two quarts of whiskey a day, O. Henry’s last years were marked by alcoholism, ill health, and financial troubles. He died in New York of cirrhosis of the liver in 1910. In 1918 the O. Henry Memorial Awards were established to be given annually to the best magazine stories, with the winners and leading contenders published in an annual volume.

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