Edward Everett Hale

NAME Edward Everett Hale (1822–1909)

WHAT FAMOUS FOR An American Unitarian clergyman, writer, social reformer, and proponent of the Social Gospel movement.

BIRTH Edward Everett Hale was born on April 3, 1822, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born when Boston's population was close to 50,000 and cows still grazed on the Common.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Hale came from a distinguished New England family with deep roots in American history. His father was Nathan Hale (1784-1863), proprietor and editor of the Boston Daily Advertiser. His mother was Sarah Preston Everett. 

He was the grand-nephew of Nathan Hale (1755-1776), the Revolutionary War hero and martyr spy who famously declared "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country". 

His maternal uncle was Edward Everett, the renowned orator and statesman for whom he was named. 

His siblings included notable literary figures: Lucretia Peabody Hale, Susan Hale, and Charles Hale.

CHILDHOOD Hale grew up in a household deeply involved in journalism and politics.  From boyhood, he worked for his father's newspaper, both gathering news and setting type. 

He enjoyed a childhood described with warm delight in his later book, A New England Boyhood (1893). His home was a "charmed circle" where prominent figures like Daniel Webster and James Russell Lowell were familiar visitors. 

EDUCATION Hale was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills. At age nine, he entered the Boston Latin School, and remarkably, at age thirteen, he entered Harvard College directly. His early exposure to journalism and political discussions at home shaped his later career as a social reformer.

Hale's education was exceptional for his time. After graduating from Boston Latin School at age 13, he immediately enrolled at Harvard College. At Harvard, he was part of the literary set, won two Bowdoin Prizes, and was elected Class Poet. He graduated second in his class in 1839 at the remarkably young age of 17. He then studied at Harvard Divinity School and was licensed to preach as a Unitarian minister in 1842 by the Boston Association of Ministers.

CAREER RECORD Hale's career spanned multiple fields with remarkable productivity. 

1841–1843 taught at Boston Latin School while studying theology and reporting for the Boston Daily Advertiser.

1846 Ordained and became pastor of the Church of the Unity in Worcester, Massachusetts

1856 Moved to Boston as pastor of the South Congregational (Unitarian) Church

1859 Published first notable short story, "My Double and How He Undid Me" in The Atlantic Monthly

1863 Published "The Man Without a Country" to inspire Union support during the Civil War

1869 Helped found and became editor of the Christian Examiner,

1870–1875 Founded and edited Old and New magazine

1886 Founded Lend a Hand magazine

1899 Retired as minister of the South Congregational Church after forty-three years

1903 Appointed Chaplain of the United States Senate, serving until his death in 1909

Throughout his career, produced over 150 books, pamphlets, stories, essays, and sermons

APPEARANCE  Edward Everett Hale cut an imposing figure. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a “Homeric” head and massive frame, he was often described as “a big man built on generous lines.” In later years, his full white beard and flowing hair lent him a patriarchal, almost Jove-like presence. His commanding appearance mirrored his forceful personality, making him all the more effective as both a preacher and public speaker. (1)

Edward Everett Hale 1901

FASHION Hale dressed in the formal style typical of 19th-century clergymen and intellectuals, wearing dark coats, high collars, and waistcoats. 

CHARACTER Energetic, reform-minded, and socially conscious, Edward Everett Hale balanced his pastoral duties with an equally strong devotion to public service and literature. He was remembered for his forceful personality, organizational brilliance, and a magnanimous spirit that made him both a leader and a beloved companion. Despite his long life, Hale never seemed to shed the buoyancy, optimism, and almost boyish enthusiasms of youth. 

Friends and contemporaries noted his rare blend of earnestness and playfulness, his deep sense of humor tinged with drollery, and a fierce streak of independence.

Hale was modest, free of literary pretension, and patriotic in outlook, though never blind to his nation’s flaws.

SPEAKING VOICE Hale possessed "deep tones of a voice made to sound over vast assemblies" and was known for his "impetuous utterance". His powerful speaking voice contributed significantly to his effectiveness as both a preacher and public orator, allowing him to command large audiences throughout his long career. (2)

SENSE OF HUMOUR Hale had a rich vein of humor with a distinctive touch of drollery. This was evident in his writing, particularly in humorous stories like "My Double and How He Undid Me" (1859), which he used as a form of relaxation throughout his career. His humor often carried social commentary and satire, though he killed off his humorous fictional counterparts in 1884. Hale's ability to combine earnestness with playfulness made him particularly effective as both a writer and social reformer.

A famous anecdote reflects a dry wit: when asked if he prayed for the senators, he replied, "No, I look at the senators and pray for the country."

RELATIONSHIPS Hale married Emily Baldwin Perkins on October 13, 1852 in Hartford, Connecticut. Emily was the niece of Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin and related to prominent figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. She was 23 years old when they married, while Hale was 31. Their marriage was described as one of happiness. Hale was the only one of his siblings to marry. 

The couple had nine children together, though three died in childhood and a fourth, Robert Beverly Hale, died as a young adult. Their surviving children included Ellen D. Hale, Arthur Hale, Charles A. Hale, Edward E. Hale Jr., Phillip Hale, and Herbert D. Hale.

MONEY AND FAME Hale achieved considerable fame during his lifetime, being recognized as one of the most popular authors of the 19th century. His story "The Man Without a Country" was described at his death as "the most popular short story written in America". (3)

He received numerous honors including honorary degrees: LL.D. from Dartmouth College in 1901 and Williams College in 1904. He was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908. 

His extensive writing career and prominent social position ensured financial security for his large family. 

FOOD AND DRINK During his summers at the Red House in Matunuck, Rhode Island, Hale enjoyed family gatherings and communal dining. The family's Boston Brahmin status would have provided access to fine dining and social entertaining typical of their class.

MUSIC AND ARTS While his main interests were literature and ministry, he had an appreciation for the arts. The Matunuck home became the anchor for a summer art colony in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Hale supported artistic endeavors and cultural programs.

His children, inspired by the landscape at their Matunuck summer home, spent considerable time painting. The family included several accomplished artists: Philip, Lilian, and Ellen Hale became notable impressionist painters, while Susan Hale created detailed botanical drawings and watercolors. 

WRITING CAREER Edward Everett Hale was astonishingly prolific—so much so that you half-wonder if there were two or three Hales working in shifts. His 1870 book Ten Times One is Ten gave the world a motto so cheerfully earnest you can practically hear it whistling: “Look up and not down, look forward and not back, look out and not in, and lend a hand.” The phrase became the rallying cry of “Lend a Hand” clubs for young people, which were essentially Victorian self-improvement societies with the added bonus of moral uplift.

For seventy years—an almost geological stretch of time—Hale poured his work into the nation’s great periodicals: North American Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and Christian Examiner. His first story, “A Tale of a Salamander,” appeared in 1842, but his big break came in 1859 with the delightfully peculiar "My Double and How He Undid Me," which introduced readers to the comic perils of having a lookalike. Four years later, in the midst of the Civil War, he published "The Man Without a Country" in The Atlantic Monthly—a story so drenched in patriotism it practically stood up and saluted.

Cover of 'The Man Without a Country' by Edward Everett Hale Abe Books

Hale wasn’t confined to patriotic fiction, though. He also dabbled in what we’d now call science fiction, producing The Brick Moon (1869–70), the very first fictional tale about an artificial satellite—beating Sputnik by almost a century. His novels included East and West (1892) and In His Name (1873), while his collections bore titles with the breezy confidence of someone who clearly never feared running out of ideas: If, Yes, and Perhaps (1868), The Ingham Papers (1869), and His Level Best (1872).

In short, if you picked up a magazine in 19th-century America, there was a decent chance you’d bump into Edward Everett Hale—beard, brain, benevolence, and all.

LITERATURE Edward Everett Hale was a highly prolific reader with broad and eclectic literary tastes. He read extensively from an early age, and his diary and correspondence reveal that he constantly engaged with literature from a wide range of fields—including history, science, theology, fiction, and contemporary periodicals. He kept up with new books and followed the works of both American and European authors throughout his life.

Hale’s reading reflected his curiosity and practical bent: he showed a preference for works with moral or social purpose, and he was particularly fond of stories and essays that carried ethical lessons or dealt with the betterment of individuals and society. He was familiar with the Greek and Roman classics, was deeply engaged with English and American literature, and admired contemporary writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and Charles Dickens.

NATURE Hale's connection with nature is particularly evident in his love for Matunuck, Rhode Island, where he spent summers from 1873 until his death. He wrote that "Matunuck is for me a sort of temple consecrated to Nature and when I'm called away...it makes me unhappy". At Matunuck, he enjoyed bathing in the ocean, hiking the hills, and canoeing in Wash Pond. The natural beauty of the area inspired both his own writing and his children's artistic pursuits. His daily walks and nature observation became integral to his creative process and personal well-being. (4)

PETS Hale's Matunuck property supported diverse wildlife including minks, fishers, otters, red foxes, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, wood duck, blue herons, horned owls, and red-tail hawks.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Hale's primary recreational activities centered around his Matunuck summer home, where he enjoyed hiking, swimming, and canoeing. He hunted for wild flowers and collected autumn gentians, black alder-berries, and colored leaves for decoration. He maintained these interests in nature study and outdoor activities throughout his life.

His other hobbies included extensive reading and gardening. 

SCIENCE AND MATHS Hale demonstrated remarkable prescience in scientific speculation. His novella The Brick Moon (1869-1870) was the first fictional work to describe an artificial satellite and effectively a space station. He correctly surmised the need for four satellites visible above the horizon for navigation, anticipating modern GPS systems. The story explored concepts of orbital mechanics, atmospheric heating, and space-based navigation aids that wouldn't become reality for nearly a century.  Asaph Hall, who discovered Mars' moons in 1877, wrote to Hale comparing the smaller Martian moon Deimos to his fictional Brick Moon. 

The Brick Moon from NASA archive

His scientific imagination also extended to early exploration narratives and geographical studies.

Hale excelled in mathematics during his college years, listing it, along with literature, as his "chief delight."

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY If you wanted to pin Edward Everett Hale down to a couple of principles, you could do worse than these: first, “the relief of the poor is the public duty of the private citizen,” and second, his stubborn little motto, “each for all.” Not exactly the sort of slogans you’d find on a novelty mug, but he meant them, and he lived by them.

Hale’s theology was a kind of cheerful practicality. He was a great voice in the Social Gospel movement and Unitarian liberalism, but in practice it boiled down to this: faith wasn’t a puzzle to be solved, it was a life to be lived. He believed people were essentially good—though not always at their best—and he had no time at all for the Calvinist idea that we’re all utterly depraved from birth. For Hale, the Lord’s Prayer said it all: “Our Father who art… Not My Father, not Your Father, but Our Father.”

He thought Christianity should teach people to be unselfish and to roll up their sleeves about the world’s problems, not argue themselves into a stupor over doctrinal footnotes. It was a faith that wanted to get out of the pews and into the streets, handing out bread rather than leaflets. Unsurprisingly, that sort of theology put him right at the front of progressive thought in his day, waving his arms in the direction of churches and saying, “Come on, there’s work to be done out there.”

POLITICS Progressive for his time, Hale was actively involved in antislavery politics and social reform movements throughout his life. He co-founded the New England Emigrant Aid Society to encourage antislavery supporters to settle in Kansas Territory, helping to keep it a free state. He later wrote that he was "more proud of my part in the settlement of Kansas...than I am of any public service I have rendered". (5)

His political activism extended to Irish famine relief, advocating for fairness to Native Americans, and supporting educational opportunities for freed slaves. 

His later service as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate gave him a platform to lobby for various causes.

SCANDAL Edward Everett Hale maintained a reputation for integrity and moral leadership throughout his long public career as a minister, author, and social reformer.

MILITARY RECORD As a Unitarian minister and social reformer, his contributions to national service were civilian in nature, though his writing, particularly "The Man Without a Country," served to boost morale and patriotic sentiment during the Civil War.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Hale enjoyed generally good health throughout most of his long life, living to age 87. His active lifestyle at Matunuck, including regular swimming, hiking, and outdoor activities, contributed to his physical well-being. 

In his final years, his health began to decline, and a few days before his death, heart weakness was noticed. He was forced to give up his Senate duties several weeks before his death, though his illness was initially thought to be temporary.

HOMES Hale's primary residence was in Boston, Massachusetts, but his most beloved home was the Red House in Matunuck,  a seaside village in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Built in 1873 by his friend William Babcock Weeden as a gift for Hale's lifetime use, this Second Empire-style summer home became the family gathering place for decades. The house, also known as "New Sybaris," featured commanding views of the ocean across the Matunuck coastal plain and bordered an inland spring-fed pond with an 1877 boathouse. 

Edward Everett Hale House in Matunuck by Innapoy 

During his final years as Senate Chaplain, he and his wife lived in Washington, D.C., when Congress was in session, which he enjoyed because it enabled him to mingle with influential people including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

TRAVEL Edward Everett Hale traveled extensively throughout his life, notably making journeys to Europe in 1873 and again in 1882–1883. These travels were not merely leisure; they broadened his perspective as a minister and social reformer and directly served his writing. His trip to Spain in 1882, for instance, was essential research for his biography, The Life of Christopher Columbus.

Within the United States, his work with the New England Emigrant Aid Society involved travel related to the Kansas settlement project. His extensive lecture circuit as a popular speaker took him throughout New England and beyond.

DEATH Edward Everett Hale died on June 10, 1909, at his home in Roxbury, Massachusetts (then part of Boston), at the age of 87. His death came as a surprise even to his closest friends, as his illness was initially thought to be temporary. Heart weakness was noted in his final days. Mark Twain wrote of his death: "I had the greatest esteem and respect for Edward Everett Hale, and the greatest admiration for his work".

Edward Everett Hale’s funeral took place shortly after his death on June 10, 1909, in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Hale's most famous work, "The Man Without a Country," has been adapted multiple times for various media over the decades. The story has been used in American schools as educational material about patriotism. 

His other works, particularly "The Brick Moon," have been recognized in science fiction circles as pioneering works. Modern science fiction works have referenced his contributions, including Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's Long Earth series, which features a space station named "the Brick Moon".

ACHIEVEMENTS Long-time Boston pastor.

Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

Prolific author of essays, stories, and sermons.

Founder of “Lend a Hand” clubs that influenced youth movements.

Advocate for the Social Gospel movement, linking faith with social responsibility.

Sources: (1) Harvard Square Library (2) American Antiquarian (3) Rhode Island Heritage Hall Of Fame (4) Hale House (5) Lend a Hand Society