Youngest of four children, parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Francis Cunningham Finch Lee
Truman Capote was her neighbor and schoolmate; they would be friends into adulthood, in fact she helped Capote with his writing of his award-winning book, In Cold Blood.
Lee studied at Huntingdon College from 1944-1945 and the University of Alabama from 1945-1950, writing for multiple publications at both institutions.
In December, 1956 Lee was a given a year's wages in order to write exclusively. The product was To Kill a Mockingbird, which she finished in1959. The book was published in 1960 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. Later in 1999, Mockingbird gained the title of "Best Novel of the Century."
After Mockingbird, Lee never wrote another major work or allowed any interviews or made any major appearances, content to live out the rest of her life out of the spotlight. However, she did take a role in the film adaptation of her book, becoming close with the actor portraying Atticus, Gregory Peck.
President George W. Bush awarded Harper Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November, 2007. The award is the highest that can be given to a civilian.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Harper Lee and President Bush at the award ceremony
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Harper Lee and President Bush at the award ceremony