James T. Fields

James T. Fields (1817-1881) was a partner at the publishing firm Ticknor & Fields, where he was known for his literary and business acumen. When Ticknor & Fields acquired The Atlantic Monthly, Fields became the editor of the magazine.

Fields’ first wife died of tuberculosis four months after their wedding. He married Annie Adams four years later. The two successfully hosted literary salons at their home on Charles Street in Boston, promoting new writers—including Sarah Orne Jewett—and entertaining some of the most celebrated artists and authors of the day. Fields’ sudden death in 1881 was seminal in the development of the Jewett-Fields romance.