Lindsey Graham

It was a higher-paying and more fulfilling role than his previous job at Burton's.

Poe contributed a short story to Grams every month, and that April he published The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

The story featured an eccentric amateur sleuth who relied on his intellect to solve murders and is now widely recognized as the first detective story.

But while Poe's work life improved, his home life suffered.

In January 1842, 19-year-old Virginia Poe was singing and playing piano at home when she suddenly broke a blood vessel and began hemorrhaging blood from her mouth.

It was a sign of tuberculosis, the same disease that killed Poe's mother and foster mother.

As time wore on, Poe's mood fluctuated with the ups and downs of Virginia's health.

But under Poe's direction, Graham's magazine became a success, with circulation growing from 5,000 at its launch in December 1840 to 40,000 just a year later.

During that time, publisher George Graham earned a profit of $25,000, while Poe's annual salary was just $800.

In characteristic fashion, Poe quickly grew weary of the job.

He resented not sharing in the profits of his work and felt the position was stifling his artistry.

So in April 1842, he quit the magazine.

But soon, anxiety over his finances and Virginia's health drove him back to alcohol.

In June, he went on a drinking bender.

After several days, he was discovered wandering in the woods near Jersey City.

Poe decided he wanted a comfortable job that would grant him financial security and the time to write.

So in the fall of 1842, he tried to secure a role at the Federal Custom House in Philadelphia.

The position would require the approval of the administration of President John Tyler.

He had the support of a friend who was close to the president's son, Robert, and in September, Poe traveled to Washington, D.C.

to interview with Tyler.