Maryanne Ralph Waldo Emerson President at birth: Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 President at death: Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885: Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born into a family of poverty. His father, William Emerson was a minister of the First Unitarian Church of Boston. Not only was his father a minister, but seven of his ancestors also were. Unfortunately his father died when he was only 8 years old. At the …showed first 75 words of 570 total…

…showed last 75 words of 570 total…his fundamental optimism weakened, he began to realize human limitations, of the power of fate and experience. . His last pieces of works were The Conduct of Life; a collection of poems entitled May Day and Other Pieces, Letters and Social Aims, and Natural History of Intellect. Close to the end of his life he wrote less and less, and his mental powers declined, but Emerson will always be remembered for his composition of inspirational mottoes.