Ralph Ellison was born on March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was a writer, known for Invisible Man, American Masters (1985) and The Fifties (1997). He was married to Fanny McConnell and Rose Poindexter. He died on April 16, 1994 in New York City, New York, USA.
His second wife, Fanny Ellison (nee McConnell), who helped him to edit his novel "Invisible Man", died in New York City, New York, USA on 19 November 2005 at the age of 93.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1985 by the
National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
Pictured on a USA 91¢ commemorative postage stamp in the Literary Arts series, issued 18 February 2014. The 91¢ rate paid the three-ounce rate implemented January 2014, when the one-ounce rate was increased to 49¢.