Edward Bellamy

Date of Birth: March 26, 1850

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: May 22, 1898

Biography

Edward Bellamy was an American author and journalist, born on March 26, 1850, in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He is best known for his utopian novel “Looking Backward: 2000–1887,” published in 1888, which became one of the most influential books of its time. The novel envisions a future society based on socialist principles and has inspired numerous reform movements and utopian communities. Bellamy’s father was a Baptist minister, and his mother was the daughter of a strict Calvinist. He studied law but never practiced, choosing instead to pursue a career in journalism and writing. Bellamy wrote several other works, including “Equality,” a sequel to “Looking Backward,” and various short stories and essays. He married Emma Sanderson in 1882, and they had two children. Bellamy’s health deteriorated in the 1890s, and he died of tuberculosis on May 22, 1898, in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.

5 Interesting Facts about Edward Bellamy

1. Edward Bellamy’s novel “Looking Backward” was the third best-selling book of its time, following “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Ben-Hur.”

2. The book “Looking Backward” inspired the formation of over 150 “Bellamy Clubs” that advocated for social reform.

3. Bellamy’s vision in “Looking Backward” popularized the concept of credit cards, which he called “credit cards of the future.”

4. Despite his socialist leanings, Bellamy was not a member of any socialist party and preferred to label his ideas as “Nationalism.”

5. Bellamy’s work influenced future political movements, including the Progressive Era and the New Deal.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Edward Bellamy

1. “Human history, like all great movements, was cyclical, and returned to the point of beginning.”

2. “The primal principle of democracy is the worth and dignity of the individual.”

3. “If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.”

4. “There is no wealth but life.”

5. “The nation, that is, the people, was henceforth to be the sole employer and capitalist.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Edward Bellamy did not achieve significant financial wealth during his lifetime. His highest net worth is not well-documented but it is known that he lived modestly.