A Man on Fire

Few American lives covered as much ground as that of Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Born to New England patriarchy in 1823, he lived almost to the outbreak of World War One. Militant abolitionist and member of Boston's Secret Six supporting John Brown's insurrection, he led one of the first all-Black volunteer regiments in South Carolina during the Civil War. Dedicated feminist, educational reformer, and crusading journalist, he openly embraced the term "socialist." He encouraged Emily Dickinson in her poetry-writing and became her editor and champion--which alone would have earned him a shot at immortality. Here's a biography that captures all of the facets of an American whirlwind.