Horatio Alger, Jr. was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on January 13, 1832. Alger was the son of a Unitarian minister and his forefathers had settled Plymouth, attended the Constitutional Convention, and fought in the War of 1812. Alger was a talented but sickly child and his father was determined that he’d one day enter the ministry. To this end, his father tutored him in classical studies and invited him to sit in while he ministered parishioners.