Birth: January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts
Death: October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland
Early Influences:
- Orphaned before the age of three
- Raised by childless, wealthy couple - John and Frances Allan
- After spending a year at the University of Virginia, his adopted father took him out of school because of his gambling debts
Education:
- Attended boarding school in London
- Finished school in Richmond, VA
- Spent one year at the University of Virginia before stepfather pulled him out
- Appointed to West Point from which he was later dismissed
Major Accomplishments:
- Wrote about 50 poems including his most famous, "The Raven"
- "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839) - Short Story
- "The Murder in the Rue Morgue" (1841) - Short Story
- "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842) - Short Story
- "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1842) - Short Story
- "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843) - Short Story
Significance:
- Had a great influence on the short story genre
- Virtually invented the detective story
- Became a key figure in French literature
Contemporaries:
- Simon Bolivar - South American General and Political Leader
- Davy Crockett - American Explorer and Patriot
- Andrew Jackson - 7th President of the United States
