|
| Affiliation | Democratic |
|
| Name | Washington Irving |
| Address |
New York, New York , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
April 03, 1783
|
| Died | November 28, 1859
(76 years)
|
| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jan 03, 2015 04:40am |
| Tags |
|
| Info | Washington Irving (April 3, 1783–November 28, 1859) was an American author of the early 19th century.
Irving was born in Manhattan.
A lawyer, he was a member of the American diplomatic staff in Britain and in Spain. He spoke Spanish. He was a prolific essayist who wrote widely respected biographies of George Washington and Muhammad as well as other historical figures. He also wrote books on 15th century Spain dealing with subjects such as Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra.
He is said to have humorously invented the idea that everyone before Columbus thought the earth was flat. He is also credited with coining the phrase "the almighty dollar".
Irving traveled on the Western frontier in the 1830s and recorded his glimpses of western tribes in A Tour on the Prairies (1835) and was one of the few 19th century figures to speak out against the mishandling of relations with the Native American tribes by Europeans:
It has been the lot of the unfortunate aborigines of America, in the early periods of colonization, to be doubly wronged by the white men. They have been dispossessed of their hereditary possessions by mercenary and frequently wanton warfare, and their characters have been traduced by bigoted and interested writers.
Irving and James Fenimore Cooper were the first writers to earn acclaim in Europe. He is said to have mentored authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe.
He lived in his famous home of Sunnyside, which is still standing just south of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The property and the original house called "Wolfert's Roost" were originally owned by Wolfert Acker, about which he wrote the short story Wolfert's Roost.
It is believed that the city of Irving, Texas was named after him, as are Washington Street and Irving Street in Birmingham. His book Bracebridge Hall was the inspiration for the naming of the town of Bracebridge, Ontario.
First Appeared on a United States Postage Stamp in 1940.
Vote totals for elections in which was nominated for the Hall of Fame for Great Americans (1900-1965): 1900-83.
[Link] |
 | BOOKS |
 |
|
| Title |
Purchase |
Contributor |
|
| Start Date |
End Date |
Type |
Title |
Contributor |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
