Frank Preston Stearns (1846–1917) was an American abolitionist, author, and critic. He was known as a biographer of noted Americans and Italians.
Early life
Frank Preston Stearns was born in Medford, Massachusetts on January 4, 1846. He was the son of Mary E. (née Preston) and George Luther Stearns, an industrialist and noted abolitionist. Stearns received his early education at F. B. Sanborn's School in Concord, Massachusetts.
Stearns followed his father in becoming an abolitionist. He collaborated with Elizur Wright in ambitious projects, such as the American Anti-Slavery Society.
During the American Civil War, Stearns helped his father recruit men for the 54th and 55th Massachusettes Colored Regiments in Buffalo, New York. Later, the recruited soldiers at Fortress Monroe and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Stearns graduated from Harvard University in 1867. While there, he was a member of The Dickey Club and the Hasty Pudding Club. He was also a co-founder of The Harvard Advocate, a campus literary magazine.
Stearns returned home to care for his family after his father died in 1867. Stearns discovered that he was disinherited from his father's estate, although his father had intended to change this before his death. The pressure of caring for his family without means or a profession caused Stearns to develop a nervous disorder, something that he never fully recovered from.
Charles Sumner helped Stearns secure a government job, which he kept for several years. His health improved and he studied literature with David Atwood Wasson, a minister and author.
