Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-10-11


Death of Oliver Wendell Holmes, the
Popular ''Autocrat of the Breakfast
Table"
BosToN, MASS, Oct. 7.-Dr. Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Boston's distinguished
poet, died ut his Beacon street home, in
this city, st 1915 o'clock, to-day, from
old age and heart failure.
DIR. Holmes illness was Of brief dura.
ton. Ten days ago he removed from his
summer home, Beverly farm, to his
Beacon street residence. The change
aggravated the asthma to which he had
long been subject, and he became
dangerously ill. DIR. Putnam attended
him, and this morning visited his emf.
nent patient
Though DIR. Holmes was low, no i'm.
mediate change was expected, and the
physician went out Of town for the day.
At noon the end came very suddenly.
He was conscious to the last, and parted
atfectionately from his family, who were
gathered at his bedside.
Stretch OF his LIFE.
Oliver Wendell Holmes was born al
Cambridge, Mass., August 2Sth, 1909,
the son of Sarah Wendell and Abel
Holmes, who was agraduate OF Yule Col.
lcge in 1888 and for 40 years pastor of
the First Church in Cambridge.
III 1907 the Rev. Abiel Holmes moved
into the historic gambrel.roofed house
in Cambridge, where, two years later,
the poet was born. This old house was
selected by General-in- Chief Artemus
Ward as his headquarters; here the
occupation OF Bunker Hill was planned
and General Washington was enter
tanned; General Warren rested here and
Benedict Arnold received his first com.
| mission.
Oliver went to school at Cambridge
port for about five years and then to
Phillips College at Andover, where, it is
said, he was sent in the hope that he
might become Clergyman.
1t was here that he made his first
attempt at versitication, translation
from the first book of the ".Encid" in
heroic couplets. Ile was graduated
from Harvard in 1929. He contributed
25 poems to one of the college period.
calls, "rhe Collegiau," some of which
have not been surpassed Ivy his luteI
| productions; delivered the poem at the
commencement, and was one of the IL
members elected to the Phi Beta Kappa
Society. In the following year, when
it was proposed to break up the old
frigate Constitution, ho wrote "Old
lronsides," which was published in the
Boston A1gcrtiScr, saved the ship and
gained wide reputation.
For year after leaving college Oliver
studied at tho Cambridge Law School
during which time he produced many
of his most famous pieces, including
"lvening by u Tailor" and the "IIeighi
of the Ridiculous" He subsequently,
studied medicine, and in the spring O.
1888 went abroad, where he continued
the study of medicine, chiefly in Paris
returned to America in 1885, and re
ceived his degree of NJ. d. in 1886.
Lii August of that year he delivered
before the Phi Beta Kappa Society BIZ
long poem, entitled, Poetry, a Metrica
Essay" In the same year he published
his first volume Of poems, containing
among others, "Thc Last Leaf a prime
favorite of Abraham Lincoln's.
In 1889 DR.. Holmes was appointed
professor Of anatomy and physiology a
Dartmouth College, and in 1910 he mar
ried Amelia Lee, daughter of Judg,
Charles Lee OF the supreme court .
Massachusetts, resigned his professor
ship OF Dartmouth, and settled in Bos
ton to practice his profession.
Seven years later he Unsupported tt
professorship in the Harvard Medica
! School, and about the same time becam