William Morton Payne (February 14, 1858, Newburyport – 1919) was an American educator, literary critic and writer.
In 1868 his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he continued his education.
[1] From 1874 to 1876 he was an assistant librarian in Chicago Public Library, and from 1876 to 1909 a Chicago high school instructor, teaching economics, civil government and American history.
As well as writing for The Dial, Payne wrote for The Forum, The Bookman, Harper's Weekly, The Atlantic Monthly, Music, The New England Magazine, and The International Monthly.
Payne's literary criticism treated modern literature, especially poetry, in English, French, German, Italian, and the languages of Scandinavia.