Eugene Field was born in the vibrant city of St. Louis, Missouri, where his childhood home is now a popular tourist destination known as The Eugene Field House and St. Louis Toy Museum. Following the untimely passing of his mother in 1856, Field was taken under the wing of his cousin, Mary Field French, and relocated to the charming town of Amherst, Massachusetts. His father, the esteemed attorney Roswell Martin Field, made headlines for his work on the landmark case of Dred Scott, a slave who fought for his freedom in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford case, also referred to as "the lawsuit that started the Civil War." Field's father filed the complaint on behalf of Scott in the federal court in St. Louis, Missouri, and the case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Field's academic journey took him to Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he spent eight months before dropping out. He then transferred to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, but unfortunately, his stay was short-lived, and he left after just one year. His next stop was the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where his brother Roswell was also enrolled. Despite his best efforts, Field struggled with acting and studying law, and he also contributed to the student newspaper. In a bold move, he embarked on a trip through Europe, but after six months, he returned to the United States with little to his name.
