Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Nye, Edgar Wilson

NYE, Edgar Wilson, humorist, b. in Shirley, Me., 25 Aug., 1850; d. near Asheville, N. C., 22 Feb., 1896. He was educated at River Falls, Wis., removed to Wyoming territory, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1876. He began early to contribute humorous sketches to the newspapers, using the pen-name of “Bill Nye,” was connected with various western journals, and afterward settled in New York city. He had published “Bill Nye and the Boomerang” (Chicago, 1881); “The Forty Liars” (1883); “Baled Hay” (1884); “Bill Nye's Blossom Rock” (1885); and “Remarks” (1886).