Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 - May 22, 1898) was an American author, journalist, and political activist. He was born and educated in Chicopee, Massachusetts. After briefly studying to be a lawyer, he decided to pursue a career in journalism. He wrote several unremarkable novels before publishing Looking Backward in 1888. Bellamy actively participated in the political movement which emerged around his book, particularly after 1891 when he founded his own magazine, The New Nation. For the next three and a half years, Bellamy gave his all to politics, publishing his magazine, working to influence the platform of the People's Party, and publicising the Nationalist movement in the popular press. He died from tuberculosis, which he had contracted at the age of 25.
