E. B. White
E. B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921. He joined the staff at The New Yorker, where White’s poems, essays, satirical pieces, and editorials started to appear, as well as in Harper’s. His books include One Man’s Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, The Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White.
The author of more than twenty books of prose and poetry, White is perhaps best known for his award-winning children’s books, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. White received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1970, and his The Trumpet of the Swan was honored by the International Board on Books for Young People as a distinguished example of literature with international influence.
For his lifelong contribution to American letters, President John F. Kennedy awarded White the Presidential Medal for Freedom. He also received the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism. In 1973, White was elected to be a member of the Academy. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. White died on October 1, 1985.