Washington Irving

American writer, essayist and historian known for his biographies, satire and humor. The son of a wealthy merchant, he was educated at private schools and entered law practice from 1798, passing the bar in 1806. From 1810 he entered his brothers importing business, taking charge of the Liverpool office until the company went bankrupt in 1817.

Stories of his, which appeared serially from 1819 to 1820, included the classics "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." After some time in Germany and France, Irving became the diplomatic attaché in Spain from 1826 and continued to gather material for his writings. Serving at the American Legation in London 1829-1831, he returned to America where a lengthy trip through the west resulted in further noted writing. In 1835, he published "A Tour on the Prairies." His final government job was in diplomatic service in Spain, 1842-1846, returning to the U.S. until his death.

Irving died on 28 November 1859, Sunnyside, New York. He was elected to the Hall of Fame For Great Americans in 1900, the first American writer to achieve international fame.