William Ellery Channing II
William Ellery Channing II was an American poet and biographer, born on November 29, 1817, in Boston, Massachusetts. He came from a distinguished family; his father, Dr. Walter Channing, was a professor at Harvard Medical School, and he was named after his influential uncle, the Unitarian theologian, Reverend William Ellery Channing. Despite his family's expectations, Channing left Harvard after just three months to pursue a career in poetry, which led to a tumultuous professional life characterized by frequent job changes. He eventually settled in Cincinnati, where he married Ellen Fuller in 1841 and worked as an assistant editor for the Cincinnati Gazette.
Channing's friendships with prominent Transcendentalists like Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne were significant during his life, and he often contributed poetry to Emerson's journal, The Dial. Despite his early literary ambitions, Channing struggled to gain recognition as a poet, publishing two books that received little acclaim. After the death of his wife in 1856, he became increasingly focused on Thoreau’s legacy, ultimately becoming the first biographer of Thoreau with the publication of "Thoreau: The Poet-Naturalist" in 1873. Although his own poetic works did not achieve lasting fame, Channing's contributions to the understanding of Thoreau's life and writings have cemented his place in literary history. He passed away on December 23, 1901.
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Subject Terms
William Ellery Channing II
Preacher
- Born: April 7, 1780
- Birthplace: Newport, Rhode Island
- Died: October 2, 1842
- Place of death: Old Bennington, Vermont
Biography
William Ellery Channing II was born on November 29, 1817, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dr. Walter Channing, who was a Harvard Medical School professor. His mother was Barbara Perkins, who came from an old and wealthy Massachusetts family. Her death in 1823 marked Channing for life. He was named after his uncle, the Reverend William Ellery Channing, a noted Unitarian theologian. His family was well-connected and included such important figures as Washington Allston and Richard Henry Dana.
Channing was sent to boarding school in 1825, attending Round Hill School at Northampton. He also attended the Classical School in Brookline, and Frederic Percival Leverett’s private academy. He matriculated at Harvard in 1834, but left after three months to pursue a career as a poet. This action scandalized his family. By 1835, however, he had sold a number of poems under a pen name to a local newspaper. He was unsuccessful at staying at any job, and in 1839 left Massachusetts altogether to buy a farm in Illinois. He did not stay long in Illinois, however, and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1840, where he met and fell in love with Ellen Fuller, the sister of Margaret Fuller. They married in 1841, the same year that Channing became assistant editor of the Cincinnati Gazette.
The Channings returned to Massachusetts where they set up household in Concord. It was here that he met Henry David Thoreau as well as the other Transcendentalists including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Channing often published poetry in Emerson’s journal, The Dial. By 1844, however, Channing began wandering again, leaving his family behind. Over the next several years he traveled to Europe and worked sporadically at many careers, including journalism. At the same time, his career as a poet languished. Although he published two books, one in 1847 and the other in 1849, neither attracted any positive critical attention. Channing’s wife, the mother of his five children died in 1856, although Channing seems to not have noticed, and his wife’s family took guardianship of his children.
After Thoreau’s death in 1863, Channing began writing memoirs of the famous writer. He also edited a number of Thoreau’s manuscripts. This became his life’s calling: to provide an accounting of Thoreau’s life and to make his works available for readers. In 1873, he published Thoreau: The Poet-Naturalist, becoming Thoreau’s first biographer. It is for this volume that he is best known. Channing died on December 23, 1901.
Although Channing was not a well-regarded poet in his own day, he did produce an important, if not always accurate, biography of Thoreau. He was, however, a good friend to many important writers of his day, and it has been suggested that exerted influence on the Transcendentalists through his friendships and discussions.