Passion or Profession: Writer and Humorist

Period: 1835–1910

Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorn Clemens) was a journalist, a Confederate soldier, and a riverboat captain long before he became one of the country’s most celebrated writers. (It was from his time as a captain that he took his pseudonym Mark Twain—a term for safe navigating conditions.) His works such as The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exemplify his ability to create memorable characters and use humor and social satire to communicate his themes.