Washington Irving

Washington Irving, most famous today for his stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” was a fiction writer, biographer, historian, essayist, and US ambassador who worked during the first half of the 19th century. He was born in New York and was named after General George Washington (who hadn’t yet been elected President at the time of Irving’s birth, as the Constitution had not been either written or ratified by 1783). Irving studied law before becoming interested in historical writing and short fiction. His writing eventually earned him fame and status, especially after his publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819-1820), and he was one of the first American authors whose writings received international recognition. He spent 17 years living in Europe (primarily Britain and Spain) and was well regarded abroad. Later in his life he moved back to Tarrytown, New York, and lived on an estate he named “Sunnyside.” He left this estate to serve as the US ambassador to Spain for four years before returning. He continued writing and keeping up with correspondences until his death in 1859.