Born Thomas Stearns Eliot, T.S. Eliot was born in Missouri. After a brief time in Paris, he returned to Harvard to earn his doctorate in philosophy. In London, Eliot was greatly admired by Ezra Pound, who saw to it that Eliot's poems were published in numerous magazines. His first book of poems, "Prufrock and Other Observations," was an instant hit. Ash Wednesday and Four Quartets are considered to be among his best poems. He was also a published author of social and literary criticisms and authored numerous plays, chief among them The Family Reunion and The Cocktail Party. Eliot was a…