BELLAMY

bellamy, edward (1850-1898), american author and social reformer, was born at chicopee falls, massachusetts, on the 25th of march 1850. he studied for a time at union college, schenectady, new york, and in germany; was admitted to the bar in 1871; but soon engaged in newspaper work, first as an associate editor of the _springfield union_, mass., and then as an editorial writer for the _new york evening post_. after publishing three novelettes (_six to one, dr heidenhoff's process_ and _miss ludington's sister_), pleasantly written and showing some inventiveness in situation, but attracting no special notice, in 1888 he caught the public attention with _looking backward, 2000-1887_. in which he set forth ideas of co-operative or semi-socialistic life in village or city communities. the book was widely circulated in america and europe, and was translated into several foreign languages. it was at first judged merely as a romance, but was soon accepted as a statement of the deliberate wishes and methods of its author, who devoted the remainder of his life as editor, author, lecturer and politician, to the promotion of the communistic theories of _looking backward_, which he called "nationalism"; a nationalist party (the main points of whose immediate programme, according to bellamy, were embodied in the platform of the people's party of 1892) was organized, but obtained no political hold. in 1897 bellamy published _equality_, a sequel to _looking backward_. he died at chicopee falls on the 22nd of may 1898.