Francis Pharcellus Church
Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. In 1897, Church wrote the editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". Produced in response to eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon's letter asking whether Santa Claus was real, the widely republished editorial has become one of the most famous ever written.
Francis Pharcellus Church | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1839 Rochester, New York, US |
| Died | April 11, 1906 (aged 67) New York City, US |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA, MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, editor |
| Spouse |
Elizabeth Wickham (m. 1871) |
| Relatives | William Conant Church (brother) |
Born in Rochester, New York, Church graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Conant Church, Francis founded and edited several periodicals including The Army and Navy Journal, The Galaxy, and the Internal Revenue Record and Customs Journal. He was a war correspondent for The New York Times during the American Civil War. He worked at The Sun in the early 1860s and again from 1874 until his death, writing thousands of editorials.
Church died in New York City and was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.