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Browne was born in Waterford, Maine. He began life as a compositor and occasional contributor to the daily and weekly journals. In 1858 he published in the Cleveland Plaindealer the first of the "Artemus Ward" series, which in a collected form achieved great popularity in both America and England. In 1860 he became editor of Vanity Fair, a humorous New York weekly, which proved a failure. About the same time he began to appear as a lecturer, and by his droll and eccentric humour attracted large audiences.
"Artemus Ward" was the favorite author of US President Abraham Lincoln. Before presenting " The Emancipation Proclamation" to his Cabinet, Lincoln read to them the latest episode, "Outrage in Utiky", also known as High-Handed Outrage at Utica.
In 1866 Ward visited England, where he became exceedingly popular both as a lecturer and as a contributor to Punch magazine. In the spring of the following year his health gave way and he died of tuberculosis at Southampton on March 6, 1867.
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