born Oct. 3, 1802, Greenfield, Mass., U.S.
died July 4, 1880, New York, N.Y.
U.S. journalist and reformer.
He became a Unitarian minister after graduating from Harvard Divinity School. A member of the Transcendental Club and an editor of The Dial , its literary magazine, he founded the utopian community Brook Farm in 1841 and served as its director and leading promoter. When it closed in 1847, he took a job with the New York Tribune to pay off its debts. His own financial position did not become secure until he published The Cyclopedia (1862), a popular reference book.