Arthur Poe
| Mr. Arthur Poe | |
|---|---|
| A Series of Unfortunate Events character | |
 |
|
| First appearance | The Bad Beginning |
| Last appearance | The Penultimate Peril |
| Created by | Lemony Snicket |
| Portrayed by |
Timothy Spall (Film) K. Todd Freeman (TV series) |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Family |
Polly Poe (wife) Edgar Poe (son) Albert Poe (son) Eleanora Poe (sister) |
Arthur Poe (often referred to as Mr. Poe) is a fictional character in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series. Mr. Poe is a banker in charge of the Baudelaire and Quagmire fortunes and the Baudelaire orphans' guardianship. He is distinguished by a congenital cough, purblind demeanor, and general inefficacy in caring for both sets of children.
Poe is the first to bring the news of Bertrand and Beatrice's death to the Baudelaire children. As executor of the Baudelaire estate, he interprets the will's instructions that the children "be raised in the most convenient way possible" as meaning they should remain within the city limits, and arranges for their distant cousin Count Olaf to take custody. When the Baudelaires contact Poe at his bank, Mulctuary Money Management, to report Olaf's abuse, the banker points out that Olaf is acting in loco parentis, and can raise them as he sees fit. However, when Olaf traps Sunny in a birdcage and attempts to force Violet to marry him, Poe invokes citizen's arrest just prior to Count Olaf's escape.
Following these events, Poe successively places the children under the care of Monty Montgomery, Josephine Anwhistle, Sir, Jerome and Esmé Squalor, and finally the Village of Fowl Devotees, acting as their temporary guardian in the interim. When the Baudelaires escape the village amidst accusations of murder (and later arson and kidnapping), Poe is one of the few adults to maintain the Baudelaires' innocence and disbelieve the incriminating Daily Punctilio articles published by his sister Eleanora. When the Baudelaires return to the city to meet up with V.F.D., Poe intervenes on a tip from a "J.S." (initials variously used by Jerome Squalor, Justice Strauss, Count Olaf, Esmé Squalor, and possibly others) with the intent of clearing the Baudelaires' names and restoring his role as executor, but the children refuse to accompany him. After Mrs. Bass robs Mulctuary Money Management, Poe is placed in charge of the investigation, which leads him to the Hotel Denouement. When the hotel is set on fire, Poe is on the third floor. Whether he survives or not is left unanswered.
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