Benjamin De Casseres

Benjamin De Casseres (often DeCasseres; April 3, 1873 – December 7, 1945) was an American journalist, critic, essayist and poet. He was born in Philadelphia and began working at the Philadelphia Press at an early age, but spent most of his professional career in New York City, where he wrote for various newspapers including The New York Times, The Sun and The New York Herald. He was married to author Bio De Casseres, and corresponded with prominent literary figures of his time, including H. L. Mencken, Edgar Lee Masters, and Eugene O'Neill. He was a distant relative of Baruch Spinoza and was of Sephardic descent.

Writing career

At the age of sixteen, De Casseres started working as an assistant to Charles Emory Smith, editor of the Philadelphia Press, for $4 per week. At the Press, De Casseres rose from his position as an assistant to become a "copy boy," editorial paragrapher, dramatic critic, proofreader, and (briefly) city editor. During his ten years at the press, De Casseres had a few publications, including one of his first signed editorials, an article that appeared in Belford's Magazine praising Thomas Brackett Reed.

In 1899, De Casseres moved from Philadelphia to New York, he worked as a proofreader first for The New York Sun until 1903 and then for the New York Herald, where he remained until 1916. Although his employment at The Sun lasted for only four years, he continued to have periodic letters, poems, and reviews published in the book review section. He also wrote reviews for The New York Times and The Bookman.