Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne was the son of a sea captain. When he was just four years old, Hawthorne’s father died, and his mother became a recluse. Hawthorne’s name was originally spelled “Hathorne,” but he decided to add the w. Later, they moved to Maine, and Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College. He became friends with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce. In 1825, Hawthorne began writing, but he ended up burning his first short-story collection after it was rejected by publishers. Hawthorne wrote several novels and short stories, the most famous being The Scarlet Letter. He was still writing other stories until his death in May of 1864.