American realist novelist, literary critic, & playwright William Dean Howells died #OTD in 1920.
He is often referred to as "The Dean of American Letters." He became the assistant editor of The Atlantic Monthly in 1866 and later served as its editor-in-chief from 1871 to 1881. As an editor, he was instrumental in promoting the works of many prominent American authors, including Mark Twain, Henry James, and Emily Dickinson.
William Dean Howells at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/97