Alden, Henry Mills (1836 – 1919)

Alden was the managing editor of Harper’s Weekly magazine from 1863, and when it became Harper’s Magazine in 1869, he continued as editor for fifty more years until his death. The magazine embodied his distinctive style and classical training. Noted for his metaphysical essays and his 1871 poem, “The Ancient ‘Lady of Sorrow,’” he also authored three books: Magazine Writing and the New Literature, God in His World, and A Study of Death. Born in Vermont and a direct descendant of John and Pricilla Alden of Mayflower fame, he graduated from Williams College in 1857. He also graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1860 but came to New York where he taught at a girls’ school and wrote for the New York Times and the New York Post. He was an early member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Married twice, his stepdaughter Aline Murray Kilmer was married to the renowned poet Joyce Kilmer.