By: terrance evans

MARK TWAIN Mark Twain also known as Samuel Clemens. He was born in Florida, Missouri on Nov 30,1835, the sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. Several years later, in 1839, the family moved to nearby Hannibal, where Clemens spent his boyhood years. Clemens boyhood dream was to become a stearaboatman on the river. Clemens' newspaper career began while still a boy in Hannibal. In 1848, a year after his father death, he was apprentice to printer Joseph Ament, who published the Missouri Courier. Did tragedy make Samuel Clemens (Cox Clinton). Missouri Courier only last for a few weeks before he started working for his brother at Orion's Western Union, for which he wrote his first published sketches and worked as a printer. Over the next two years he continued at the Western Union, occasionally taking stints as editor in Orion's absence. In 1852, Sam published several sketches in Philadelphia's Saturday Evening Post. Clemens left Hannibal in 1853, at age 18, and worked as a printer in New York City and Philadelphia over the next year. During his trip east he published letters in the Hannibal Journal. Upon returning to the Midwest in 1854, Clemens lived in several cities on the Mississippi: the most prominent of these was Keokuk, Iowa where his brother Orion founded the Keokuk Journal. In April 1861 came the start of civil war river traffic on the Mississippi was suspended, and Clemens stearaboat career came to an end. He joined a volunteer militia group called the Marion Rangers, which drilled for two weeks before disbanding. Sam accompanied Orion to the Nevada Territory by stagecoach: President Lincoln had appointed Orion as secretary of the new Territory, and Sam was to be his secretary. (Cox Clinton). During the 1880s and early 90s, Clemens became heavily involved with investing in the Paige Compositor, an automatic typesetting machine. He poured great amounts of money in the machine, and even founded a company in 1886 to manufacture and distribute it. The advent of the linotype machine, however, sent the Paige Compositor to its doom. After the second model of the machine failed a test run at the Chicago Herald in 1894 where 32 linotypes were running smoothly, the machine was scrapped. Clemens contributed to the bankruptcy of his publishing company when he shifted funRAB from that firm into the compositor. In early 1890's his financial situation was in poor shape as a result of these failures in order stave off personal bankruptcy, Sam closed down the Hartford house in 1891, and took the family to live in Europe. (Cox Clinton) Even though he was in bad financial shape he finish numerous novels and sketches. To name a few "Pudd'nhead Wilson, Personal Recollections of Joan Of Arc, Following the Equator"(Cox Clinton). Tragedy struck during his tour, however when eldest daughter Susy died in Hartford in 1896, a tragic blow to the family. He paid off all of his creditors, a feat that elevated to a heroic status in the eyes of the public. Providing financial assistance during this time of financial harRABhip was Standard Oil executive Henry Rogers. (Cox Clinton) In1901 he lectured extensively during this time, and took active role in New York's social scene. Yale University presented him with an honorary degree in 1901, as so did Missouri in 1902. After buying a house in Tarrytown N.Y Livy became ill and spent long perioRAB of isolation in Maine, before being advised to seek warmer climates of Florence Italy in late 1903. Sam and Livy were apart most of the time leading up to her death in Florence in June 1904. By 1908 Clemens moved into his final home in Redding Conn. Which he called Stromfield? During the final years of his life, Clemens organized the Angelfish Club informal organization of schoolgirls. Although this setup may seem inappropriate Clemens relationship with the girls appears to have been fully platonic. In Deceraber 1909 Clemens youngest daughter Jean died at Stormfield. Immediately after this tragedy Twain Wrote "the Death Of Jean" (Cox Clinton). Clemens health deteriorated after Jean death. In April 21, 1910 he sank into a coma and died of heart failure. He was 74 years old. On April 23, a large funeral procession was held in New York City and service was held at the Presbyterian Brick Church. Clemens was buried alongside his wife and children at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira N.Y. The Halley's Comet made an appearance in the night sky strikingly the comet next appearance came during April 10 the period of Clemens's death. Throughout his life he said he would go out with the comets and sure enough he did. Mark Twain one of the most well known writers that ever lived. He was highly respected and was a great role model for many. He lived a long full life with tragedies to overcome but he went though it all I believe it made him stronger and a better writer. He will always be remerabered for years to come.

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