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Classic Authors: Washington Irving

© Susan Jensen

Washington Irving wrote stories to entertain readers in a time when books existed primarily to provide information. In fact, he was probably the first American writer to do so. Much to his delight, Irving also found that he could make money solely by writing books. No other American at that time could make a similar claim. These "firsts" alone make Irving an important figure in literature; however, he also had enormous talent and a flair for reaching the common man with his grace and wit. For all of these reasons, Washington Irving became one of the most important American writers of all time.

Irving was born on April 3, 1783, in New York, New York. His parents, prosperous merchants, greatly admired General George Washington; they named their newborn son Washington after their hero. As the youngest of eleven children, Irving enjoyed an easy, pampered childhood. As a young adult, he was not required to attend college as his older brothers had. He did, however, study law intermittently; he was received into the bar in 1806.

Although he practiced law to earn an income, Washington Irving soon found that writing gave him the satisfaction he hadn't found anywhere else. In 1807 and 1808, Irving collaborated with his brother and another man on a series of essays entitled Salmagundi. Soon thereafter, he published A History of New York (1809) under the pen name Deitrich Knickerbocker. The volume poked fun at the lives of Manhattan's early Dutch settlers. The term "Knickerbocker" soon came to mean a person from New York. In fact, that is where the basketball team, the New York Knickerbockers (Knicks), got their name.

In 1815, Irving began his 17-year trip to Europe. While there he met several writers–Joseph Addison, Oliver Goldsmith and Sir Walter Scott--who greatly influenced his writing. In 1819, Irving published The Sketch Book, a collection of short stories and essays. The volume included his most famous stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. This collection found success both in England and the United States. Its popularity convinced Irving that he could indeed make a living by his pen. He continued to write and publish a book every 2-4 years until his death.

Washington Irving loved to travel, and spent many years abroad. In 1842, President Tyler appointed him U.S. minister to Madrid. He served in that capacity until 1846, after which he returned to New York. In the last years of his life, Irving bought and remodeled a home on the Hudson River which he named Sunnyside. As he never married nor had children, Irving lived in the house with his brother and his five nieces. Washington Irving died at Sunnyside on November 28, 1859, surrounded by his family. He is buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, New York.