Humorist, best known under the pseudonym of Artemus Ward (1834-1867). His literary apprenticeship was served as compositor and reporter on various newspapers, and in 1858 his burlesque descriptions of prize-fights, political meetings, etc., in the "Cleveland Plaindealer," won national attention. Shortly afterwards he went to New York and subsequently became the editor of "Vanity Fair" in which paper many of his humorous sketches appeared. His success as a lecturer, however, distracted his attention from his journalistic work, and in 1866 he sailed for England, where a successful engagement in London was cut short by the illness which caused his death a few months later. His humor was spontaneous, wholesome, and distinctly American. He died a Catho1ic.