Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, where his ancestors had participated in the Salem witch trials and the Quaker persecution. He studied at Bowdoin College where he met Franklin Pierce and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For over a decade after graduation, he studied the Puritans and wrote, anonymously publishing his first novel, Fanshawe. He then directed his efforts to short stories and published Twice-Told Tales. His next collection, Mosses from an Old Manse, received a glowing review by Herman Melville but little financial success.

After leaving employment as a surveyor at the Salem Customs House, Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter. From 1850 on, Hawthorne concentrated on writing for children, notably The House of Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance.

Hawthorne was named American consul at Liverpool and Manchester, England, (1853–1855) by President Franklin Pierce. When he left this post, he traveled through Europe, publishing The Marble Faun after spending a year in Italy. When he died, he left several unfinished works.