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(born Sept. 11, 1862, Greensboro, N.C., U.S. — died June 5, 1910, New York, N.Y.) U.S. short-story writer. He wrote for newspapers and later worked as a bank teller in Texas, where he was convicted of embezzlement; he began writing stories in prison as O. Henry. He moved to New York, where his tales romanticizing the commonplace, particularly the life of ordinary New Yorkers, and often using coincidence and surprise endings, became highly popular. His collections include Cabbages and Kings (1904); The Four Million (1906), including "The Gift of the Magi"; The Trimmed Lamp (1907), including "The Last Leaf"; and Whirligigs (1910), including "The Ransom of Red Chief."