Gilder, Richard Watson [key], 1844–1909, American editor and poet, b. Bordentown, N.J. In 1869 he became an editor of the magazine Hours at Home, which merged with Scribner's Monthly in 1870. Just before Scribner's became the Century, Gilder succeeded J. G. Holland as its editor (1881), a position he retained until his death. The Century was a leading publication during his life. In 1874 he married an artist, Helena de Kaye, and their home became a literary and artistic center; the Authors' Club was founded there in 1882. Gilder's volumes of poetry include The New Day (1875) and The Fire Divine (1907).
See his letters (ed. by his daughter, Rosamund Gilder, 1916).
His sister was Jeannette Leonard Gilder, 1849–1916, American editor and novelist, b. Flushing, N.Y. She was an assistant editor of Scribner's Monthly. With her brother Joseph Gilder, she was coeditor of the Critic from 1881 to 1885, after which she was sole editor until 1906. A keen dramatic and music critic, she wrote columns for various newspapers.
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