What was Washington Irving Famous For?

You’ve all heard of Washington Irving, but what do we know about him? Irving was the youngest of 11 children. He was born in New York, New York on April 3, 1783, which happens to be five days after the Revolutionary War ended. Irving’s father was in the Revolutionary War under George Washington, which happens to be how Irving’s first name was decided. “Washington Irving, the famed essayist, biographer, historian, writer and politician, is often referred to as ‘The Father of American Literature’ or ‘The Father of American Letters,’” as stated a Washington Irving biography.



Early is Irving’s life, he had a passion for reading. He later studied law and various law offices, though he only practice briefly. “Irving was not passionate about law and preferred writing for the papers, The Morning Chronicle and The Corrector, which his brother Peter edited.” stated in a brief biography of Washington Irving. He traveled the world for a little while. Irving social life was affected by the early death of his seventeen year old fiance. After the death of his mother, he stayed in Europe for a few years. “In England Irving had a romantic liaison with Mary Shelley.” as stated in the first biography.

“In 1807, Irving, along with his brother William and other friends began the satirical journal, Salmagundi. It was written for a New York audience, and it mocked that audience, generally, while it specifically mocked well-known men and women of New York society,” stated in the second biography. Salmagundi was popular, but unprofitable and was closed down in a year.

Irving’s best pieces were written after his brother sent him to Europe on business. While away, his mother died and the business shut down. As stated before, Irving stayed in Europe and met various people who inspired his writings. “One of these influences was Sir Walter Scott, who interested him in German Literature and Romantic History. These works were published in 1819-1820 as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Stories from this collection, such as ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ presented a fine example of Irving's craft.” as stated in the second biography.



Irving created many great things. To this day his famous for his short stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow.”