James Russell Lowell

James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was an American poet, essayist, editor, critic, and diplomat, associated with the Fireside Poets. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard College and later earned a law degree there. Lowell gained early fame with *A Fable for Critics* (1848) and the satirical *The Biglow Papers* (1848), which used Yankee dialect to comment on politics and the Mexican–American War. He served as editor of *The Atlantic Monthly* and later *The North American Review*. In public service, Lowell was U.S. minister to Spain (1877–1880) and to the United Kingdom (1880–1885).