B. O. Flower
| Benjamin Orange Flower | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 19, 1858 Albion, Illinois, United States |
| Died | December 24, 1918 (aged 60) Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Kentucky University |
| Known for | Muckraking journalism, founder of The Arena |
Benjamin Orange Flower (October 19, 1858 – December 24, 1918), known most commonly by his initials "B.O.", was an American muckraking journalist of the Progressive era. Flower is best remembered as the editor of the liberal commentary magazine The Arena, published in Boston, New York City, and Trenton, New Jersey by the Arena Publishing Co. from 1889 until 1909.
Benjamin Orange Flower was born in Albion, Illinois on October 19, 1858, the son of Alfred Flower, a Disciples of Christ minister, and his wife Elizabeth, née Orange. His grandfather George Flower had emigrated from England with his friend Morris Birkbeck after speaking with Edward Coles, and with their followers founded the English settlement in the Illinois Territory. Benjamin Flower was first educated in a religious school in Albion before moving with his family to Evansville, Indiana, where he attended the public high school.
Following his high school graduation, Flower wished to become a Protestant minister, like his father and an older brother before him. He thus began studies at the Disciples of Christ's School of the Bible at Transylvania University in Lexington. Flower's religious and philosophical views evolved, however. He embraced Unitarianism and abandoned his religious career.
After college, Flower returned to Albion where he launched a short-lived journal, the Albion American Sentinel, which was terminated in 1880. He then moved to Philadelphia, where he worked for a time as a secretary for his brother, a physician who operated a successful mail-order business.
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