Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: Ante StarÄ eviÄ ( ; 23 May 1823 -- 28 February 1896 ) , often refered as Father of Homeland was a Croatian politician and writer , whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state .
Simplified: Ante StarÄ eviÄ ( 23 May , 1823 - 28 February , 1896 ) was a Croatian politician and publisher .