Horatio Alger, Jr.
By Christine Koogle
Mrs. Dushel
Mod 7/8
Thesis Statement
Horatio Alger was a classic American
author who wrote novels based on
authentic experiences of a rags to riches
theme.
Horatio’s Childhood
 Horatio Alger was born on January 13, 1832 in Revere,
Massachusetts.
 He was born on Friday, the 13th!
 He died on July 15, 1899.
 Alger was the oldest of five children, and his family was
cruel to him.
 Horatio Alger, Sr. and his wife, Olive nee Fenno Alger,
were Horatio's parents.
 His mother was from a wealthy family: her father was a
merchant, but Alger's immediate family was poor.
 Horatio's father could only support his family by
becoming a minister at the church.
Horatio’s Schooling
 Horatio was home-schooled and tutored until the age of
ten.
 When he turned ten, he was admitted to the Gates
Academy.
 After a graduation from Gates Academy at age 16, he
was accepted into Harvard. He studied there with a
vision of becoming a poet.
 At Harvard, he won many titles and awards in poetry,
short sketches and academic essays.
 Horatio won the title "Class Poet."
 He called Harvard the "happiest years of his life!"
Horatio’s Adventures
After Horatio graduated from Harvard, he
went on a ten month tour around Europe.
He headed to new places and fresh ideas
came to him. These places influenced
Alger in his poetry writing.
Horatio’s New York Life
At age 34, Alger moved to New York City.
There, he volunteered at a homeless
shelter for boys. This house had "spoken"
to Horatio. He began to spend time with
the boys that frequented the house. He
slept, ate, and often invited them to his
home he was renting. Alger came to enjoy
the boys so much, they often became the
main characters of the 200 novels that
Alger wrote.
Horatio’s Themes
When he was in New York and he
befriended poor boys, he made them main
characters. These characters always
started in the "ragged" way: the way they
were when Alger met them. Throughout
the book, Alger transforms them into well
rounded young chaps and the boys
eventually come in contact with better
lifestyles and income. All of his books
follow the theme "Rags to Riches."
Ragged Dick Summary

Dick is a bootblack in the streets of NYC. He is quite
poor; he has only one outfit and works for 10 cents each
shoeshine. After a restless sleep in the streets, Dick
encounters a business man, Mr. Whitney, and his visiting
nephew, Frank. Because Mr. Whitney has to work, Frank
needs a tour from a real New Yorker, Ragged Dick. Mr.
Whitney gives Dick new clothes so that he would be
appropriately dressed to be in the company of a man of higher
class. From that point on, Dick is seen as a respected
gentleman. He eventually is able to get a decent room to rent.
Dick stays there for 75 cents every week. Dick meets one of
his friends, named Fosdick, and they begin to share a room.
Fosdick contributes another 25 cents to the rent. So in turn for
his rent, Fosdick tutors Dick, for Dick claims to be ignorant.
With Dick’s new education, he receives an acceptable offer for
a new occupation at an exclusive store. There he becomes an
admirable man: Richard Hunter.
Mark, the Match Boy Summary

Mark is a boy who sells matches in New York City. He is trying to
earn money to bring back to Mother Watson, a cruel and strict
woman, with whom he lives. One day, Mark does not sell many
matches. So, Mother Watson does not let Mark come home until 30
cents is brought to her. However, Mark is unable to sell enough
matches and decides to not go home to her. He spends the night in
a corner on a ferry boat. The next morning, Mark finds one dollar in
his jacket pocket. With that money, Mark is able to buy a good lunch.
He walks across a nearby plaza and stops in front of an office. Mark
is dehydrated and faints. Richard Hunter works in this office and
discovers Mark. Hunter takes Mark to his apartment. There, Mark is
nourished back to health until Hunter officially makes Mark his ward,
an adopted son. Mark is kept well and eventually establishes a job
at a bookstore. His life changes when his grandfather locates Mark
after an extensive search and offers the match boy a new
opportunity.
Conclusion
 Horatio Alger based most of his writings on his
life. He, himself, developed from a “rags to
riches” lifestyle as he grew up in an uneducated
family and eventually graduated from Harvard.
He travelled to Europe to gain new knowledge
for his poetry writing. Alger later used his
experiences in New York City, where he
volunteered with poor boys, to develop his
characters in his numerous stories. Although he
was not a famous author Alger wrote more than
200 novels before his death in 1899.
Works Cited
 Alger Jr., Horatio. Ragged Dick and Mark, The
Match Boy. 1962. Macmillan Publishing Co.,
Inc., NY. Print.
 Curran, Ronald T. “Alger, Horatio.” World
Book Advanced. World Book, 2011.
Web. 4 May 2011
 Merriam, D.C. “Horatio Alger.” The Literature
Network. Jalic Inc, 2005. Web. 4/23/11
 “Horatio Alger, Jr.” Bookrags. Wikipedia,
2006. Web. 5/6/11