Edward Noyes Westcott

Edward Noyes Westcott
Born(1846-09-27)September 27, 1846
DiedMarch 31, 1898(1898-03-31) (aged 51)
Syracuse
OccupationsBanker and author
Known forAuthor of David Harum

Edward Noyes Westcott (September 27, 1846 – March 31, 1898) was an American banker and author, best known as the author of David Harum.

Early life

Edward Noyes Westcott was born on September 27, 1846, in Syracuse, New York.[1] His father was professor, dentist, dental college founder, and politician Amos Westcott who served as mayor of Syracuse. Edward's brother Frank Nash Westcott was a minister and author who wrote on Catholicism and two novels.

Career

He was educated a local schools until he turned sixteen and began working in a bank. Westcott remained in that career for the rest of his life.

David Harum

Westcott began writing David Harum, a novel set in upstate New York, while on leave from his banking career because he was sick with chronic tuberculosis. The book was rejected several times, but in December 1897 reached Ripley Hitchcock, an editor at D. Appleton & Company. Hitchcock edited the book, which was eventually published in September 1898, and became an immediate best-seller. Westcott had died several months earlier.[2]

Death

He died on March 31, 1898, also in Syracuse.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Edward Noyes Westcott | American banker and writer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  2. ^ West, James L. W. (1990). American Authors and the Literary Marketplace Since 1900. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1330-0.