Francis Bret Harte (August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American author and poet, best remembered for his short fiction featuring the California Gold Rush. In a career spanning more than four decades, he wrote poetry, plays, lectures, book reviews, editorials, and magazine sketches in addition to fiction. His first collection of stories was published in 1867, and the following year he contributed “The Luck of Roaring Camp” to the Overland Monthly. The first western writer to become popular on an international scale, his writings helped shape the world’s perception of the Old West.