The American author was born in 1804 in Massachussetts. His most famous works were The Scarlet Letter and The House of The Seven Gables, published in 1850 and 1851.
A friend of US president Franklin Pierce, he was U.S. consul to Liverpool from 1853 to 1857. His offices were situated in Washington Buildings, which were located in Canning Place. During his lunch breaks he would often be found wandering around Tithebarn Street.
Hawthorne disliked his job, especially dealing with drunken sailors and vagrants, but it was financially rewarding. He would charge $2 per certifying of an invoice and could make up to £50 per day, a phenomenal some in those days. At the end however he wrote 'I never wish to be civil to anybody again'
From 1856-7, Hawthorne stayed at Mrs Blodgets boarding house at 153 Duke Street. Near to the end of his stay in Liverpool, he made a speech at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the city's William Brown library. After his time in Liverpool, he lived in Italy before returning to America in 1860. |
