Grenville Mellen

Grenville Mellen (June 19, 1799—September 5, 1841) was an American poet and lawyer, and the eldest son of Supreme Court Chief-Justice Prentiss Mellen. Grenville Mellen, born June 19, 1799, in Biddeford, Maine, was the son of Supreme Court Chief-Justice Prentiss Mellen and Sarah Mellen (née Hudson). He graduated from Harvard University in 1818, thereafter entering the field of law, and studied law with his father before being admitted to the bar. During this time, he was married and settled in North Yarmouth, Maine in 1823, to practice law. In October, 1828, both his wife and only child died. It is remarked that after the death of his wife and child, his character was changed: "He had before been an ambitious and a happy man. The remainder of his life was clouded with melancholy." Following this tragic loss, he removed to Boston. During this time, he began to write poetry for various journals, including the United States Literary Gazette, and began publishing satires, prose, and poetry. Five years later, he moved to New York, where he resided until summer of 1840. Due to declining health, and eventually contracting a form of consumption, he removed to Cuba. Unsatisfied with the results of the warmer climate, he moved back to New York during Spring of 1841. Being attributed to both consumption and the death of his father, he died in New York City September 5, 1841.