William Sydney Porter Pen name: O. Henry

Born in 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina Mom died when he was 3; Dad focused his attention on alcohol Grandmother and Aunt Lina raised him The only type of formal education that he received was via his aunt’s school

The Rolling Stone In 1887 he married Athol Estes Roach; they had one daughter and one son. His son died a few days after he was born. 1894 started a magazine The Rolling Stone. The magazine was not successful. When it failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist.

Criminal In 1897, he was convicted of embezzling money from the bank where he worked as a teller. William fled to Honduras to avoid trial. He returned in 1897 due to the news that his wife was dying of tuberculosis. He went to trial in 1898 and was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. While in prison he started writing stories to support his daughter. He was released after 3 years for good behavior.

Pseudonym origin unknown In 1884, Porter moved to Austin. It was during this time that Porter first used his pen name, O. Henry, said to be derived from his frequent calling of "Oh, Henry” the family cat. According to some sources, he acquired the pseudonym from a warden at the penitentiary named Orrin Henry. Porter spoke at an interview in 1909 in which he said O is easiest letter written, and joked that it stood for Olivier, the French for Oliver.

Later Life Moved to New York City in 1902 to be near his publishers. Wrote 381 short stories (1 a week for over a year) for the New York World Sunday Magazine. Married again in 1907 to his childhood sweetheart, Sarah Coleman. Porter became a heavy drinker and his health deteriorated in 1908. His wife left him in 1909, and he died in 1910 penniless and alone.

Writing Style Considered to be one of the greatest short story writers. Porter writes in a dry, humorous style. He begins a story in one direction and just when the reader thinks he can predict the ending, he sends it in a totally different direction. In his stories, people who are characterized as one thing, often are the complete opposite.