Joseph Twichell
Reverend Joseph Hopkins Twichell (November 30, 1838 – December 20, 1918) was a writer and Congregational minister from Hartford, Connecticut. He was a close friend of writer Mark Twain for over forty years and is believed to be the model for the character "Harris" in A Tramp Abroad.
Joseph Hopkins Twichell | |
|---|---|
Twichell circa 1897 | |
| Born | November 30, 1838 Southington, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | December 20, 1918 (aged 80) Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Title | Reverend |
Twain and Twichell met at a church social after the Civil War when Twichell was pastor of Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, where he served for almost 50 years. Reverend Twichell performed Twain's wedding and christened his children. He counseled the author on literary as well as personal matters for the rest of his life. A scholar and devout Christian, Twichell was described as "a man with an exuberant sense of humor, and a profound understanding of the frailties of mankind."