O. Henry O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings. William Sidney Porter was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He changed the spelling of his middle name to Sydney in 1898. His parents were Dr. Algernon Sidney Porter (1825–88), a physician, and Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter (1833–65). William's parents had married on April 20, 1858. When William was three, his mother died after birthing her third child, and he and his
William Henry Porter (writer) William Henry Porter (writer) William Henry Porter (Sept 19, 1817-May 26, 1861) was an American minister and author. He was born in Rye, New Hampshire, Sept 19, 1817, and was one of the eighteen children of Rev Huntington Porter, formerly pastor of the church in that place. After a preliminary course of study in Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, he entered Yale College in 1837, with his twin brother, Charles Henry Porter, who died after completing his Sophomore year. He graduated in 1841. He studied Theology one year in the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, one year in the