Basler was born in
St. Louis and attended
Central Methodist College in
Fayette, Missouri, before receiving his
PhD in American literature at
Duke University. He headed the English departments at
Ringling College,
Florence State Teachers' College and
Peabody College, and was executive secretary and editor-in-chief of the
Abraham Lincoln Association from 1947 to 1952. He joined the staff of the
Library of Congress in 1952 and eventually became chief of the manuscript division and held the library's chair in American history. He retired in 1974 and moved to
Sarasota, Florida, where he died in 1989. Basler's definitive eight volume collection of Lincoln's writings was published in 1953 and a supplement was released in 1974. It has been described as "the principal source" and "the most invaluable work of all" for Lincoln studies. == Bibliography ==