During the 1890s and into the twentieth century John Kendrick Bangs was one of the major humorists in the United States. As humor editor of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Harper's Bazar, Harper's Weekly, and Harper's Young People for over a decade, he had a wide influence on the development of humorous journalism in the United States. Besides his association with the Harper brothers, Bangs's earlier tenure with the humor magazine Life, his editorship of Puck in 1904 and 1905, his own contributions to various magazines, and his wide impact as a lecturer and as a writer of humorous books give him a place as a leading figure in the history of magazine journalism in America. Known as one of the "University Wits" prominent in magazines during the 1890s, Bangs poked fun at American life, particularly upperclass life, in genial and genteel prose and verse.

Born on 27 May 1862, the son of...