Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who rose to fame in the mid-19th century. He wrote around a dozen published essays and had given more than 1500 public lectures all over the United States.
He had written two famous essay series titled Essays First Series in 1841 and Essays Second Series in the year 1844. His most famous essays are Self Reliance, The Over-Soul, Circles, The Poet, and Experience. He mainly wrote on the subject of the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Wiki/Biography
Born on 25 May 1803, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s age was 78 years when he took his last breathe on 27 April 1882. He was born and brought up in a well-to-do English family from Boston, Massachusetts. He completed his elementary schooling at Boston Latin School in Boston. After that, he enrolled himself at Harvard College from where he completed his graduation.
He did several part-time jobs during his college to support his family financially and to cover up his college expenses. At the early stage of his career, he worked as a teacher at the school of young ladies which was run by his brother. After that, he wrote and studied nature and spend two years of his life in a cabin in the Canterbury section of Roxbury, Massachusetts. He also faced poor health conditions at the very age of his life and then he seeks for an area with a warmer climate.
Family Details
Ralph Waldo Emerson belonged to an upper-middle-class English family from Boston, Massachusetts. He was an American by nationality and had his belief in Western Philosophy.
His father’s name was Ruth Haskins who was a businessman by profession and his mother’s name was Rev. William Emerson who was a Unitarian minister.
He also had 7 siblings, three of his siblings lost their lives in childhood, and the rest of the four siblings were William, Edward, Robert Bulkeley, and Charles.
Ralph was named after his mother and his great-grandmother Rebecca Waldo. He was very close to his aunt Mary Moody Emerson who helped his mother to raise her children as he lost his father at a very early age due to stomach cancer.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s marital status was married. He was married to Ellen Louisa Tucker in the year 1829. Ellen was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and lost her life in the year 1831 after two years of their marriage.
After a few years, he was married to Lidian Jackson in 1835. He has two children, his son’s name was Waldo and his daughter’s name was Ellen.
Physical Appearance
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a good looking man with an attractive personality and adorable looks. He was 5 feet and 10 inches in height and his bodyweight was around 75 Kg. He owned an average body build up with an average physique and body measurements. He had black color hair and also had mesmerizing grey color eyes.
Career
Ralph Waldo Emerson started his career as a teacher after the completion of his graduation from Harvard University. He assisted his brother, who runs a school for young women at their mother’s house. After that, he established his school in Chelmsford, Massachusetts when his brother left the city for higher studies.
After a few years, he closed the school but continued teaching for many years at Cambridge and then at Harvard Divinity School. He also served as a pastor at Boston’s Second Church and was ordained in the year 1829. He also took the responsibility of the Chaplain of the Massachusetts legislature and member of the Boston School Committee.
He wrote many essays and served as an unofficial literary agent in the United States for Carlyle. Later, he joined the Transcendental Club and then he wrote his first essay titled Nature. In the year 1841, he wrote his second essay titled Self Reliance and the poem titled Threnody in the year 1842 after the death of his first son Waldo, who died due to scarlet fever. Since then he wrote several essays and poems and gave lectures at various prestigious institutions throughout the country.
Death
Ralph Waldo Emerson took his last breathe on 27 April 1882 at Concord, Massachusetts, the United States. His last rites were done at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord. As per reports, e was suffering from pneumonia before his death. His health was declining since 1867, he experienced memory issues and suffered from aphasia.
Facts and Information
Emerson become an ardent abolitionist in the year 1844 and showed his concern towards the beginning of slavery in his youth and also dreamed about helping to free slaves.
He was one of the most liberal thinkers of his time. He started in his way and criticize the legality of slavery and struggled with the implications of race.
He was nicknamed the Sage of Concord for his work as lecturer and orator and becoming the leading voice of intellectual culture in the United States.
