Charles Frederick Briggs
Charles Frederick Briggs was a prominent American writer and editor born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1804. Initially pursuing a career at sea to recover his family’s financial standing, he transitioned to writing after returning to New York. Briggs published his first novel, "Harry Franco: A Tale of Great Panic," in 1839, which reflected his own experiences and marked the beginning of his literary career. He subsequently founded the "Broadway Journal" in 1844, where he collaborated with notable figures such as Edgar Allan Poe. Briggs's contributions to literature continued as he became the editor of "Putnam's Magazine" in 1853 and wrote humorous pieces under the pseudonym "Fernando Mendez Pinto" for various publications. In 1870, he took on significant editorial roles at the "Brooklyn Union" and the "New York Independent." His extensive body of work earned him comparisons to literary giants like Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain, underscoring his influence in American literature until his death in 1877.
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Charles Frederick Briggs
Fiction Writer
- Born: December 30, 1804
- Birthplace: Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Died: June 20, 1877
Biography
Charles Frederick Briggs was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1804. His father was a successful merchant in the China trade until an embargo tossed him into debt. Consequently, early in his adult life, Briggs became a sailor in an attempt to restore some of his family’s honor. However, after only two voyages, he returned to New York and became connected with the press.
In 1839, he published his first novel, Harry Franco: A Tale of Great Panic. This story was a semiautobiographical story of a young man’s search for virtue and success in a large city. The publication of his first novel sparked his writing career and earned him a regular writing job at Knickerbocker Magazine. In 1844, he began publishing the Broadway Journal. Edgar Allan Poe was his associate editor. The publication of the Broadway Journal led to further successes in Briggs’s writing career. In 1853, in collaboration with George William Curtis and Parke Godwin, Briggs became the editor of Putnam’s Magazine. He also published a series of humorous letters signed “Fernando Mendez Pinto” in The New York Times and the Evening Mirror.
In 1870, Briggs joined the editorial staff of the Brooklyn Union where, four years later, he became the editor in chief. Around the same time, he was given an assistant position at the New York Independent. Briggs maintained these positions until his death in 1877. His works were so powerful and numerous that Briggs was often likened to other literary geniuses such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain.