Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter was born on December 19, 1868, in Littleton, New Hampshire. The daughter of Llewella French (née Woolson) and Francis Fletcher Hodgman, she was trained as a singer, attending New England Conservatory for several years. In 1892, she married John Lyman Porter and relocated to Massachusetts. It was after this move that she began her writing career, publishing short stories and, later, her well-known novels.

Porter is most famous for her novels Pollyanna (1913) and Just David (1916). Her works are celebrated for their optimistic themes and endearing characters, leaving a significant impact on American literature. Eleanor H. Porter passed away on May 21, 1920, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.