Fitz-Greene Halleck was born in Connecticut in July of 1790, in the midst of the rise of Romanticism in literature (Fitz). Halleck moved to New York City at just 21, helping to develop the Astor Library, which was what later became the New York Public Library (Poetry) As a poet, he was particularly inspired by the works of Byron, a famous British Romantic poet. Well-known both for his Romantic and his satirical works, what is perhaps his most notable work consists of the “Croaker Papers,” co-written with Joseph Rodman Drake, which satirized current events and topics under pseudonym in the New York Evening Post (Joseph).

Halleck was also a leading member of the “Bread and Cheese Club” This was a social club created by the author James Fenimore Cooper, with a diverse membership of New York lawyers, writers, academics, artists, and politicians that flourished between 1824-1827, before dissolving when Cooper moved away (Bread). Fitz-Greene Halleck was also a member of the “Knickerbocker” group in New York, joined by writers such as William Cullen Bryant and Washington Irving (Poetry). 

By the end of his career, Halleck was well-published, with his poetry collections such as Fanny and Alnwick Castle, with Other Poems often used in the classroom as important literary material for analysis. This eventually led to him gaining the honor of a statue in Central Park’s Literary Walk, built under the Hayes Administration, with him being the only American listed (Poetry Found.). By the end of his life, Halleck eventually returned home to Guildford, Connecticut in 1849 to live with his sister, residing there until he passed in 1867. Due to his unmarried status at the time of his death, many speculate on the poet’s sexuality, with even his biographer claiming that he was gay and had feelings for men he worked with such as Joseph Drake (Wiki). In fact, many analyze one of his more famous works (as it was the last of his published works during his lifetime), “Young America,” to be a criticism of the heterosexual understanding of marriage and relationships. In his will, he requested that his late friend Drake, who had died of tuberculosis, and his family be exhumed and buried with him, which they are today, in Guilford. Connecticut (Wiki). 

Regardless, Fitz-Greene Halleck has been identified as one of the most important poets of the nineteenth century, and is often credited as the “American Byron,” a reference to his personal favorite writer and inspiration for many of his works and analysis. 

Works Cited:
Bug, Brecht. "2020 Fitz-Greene Halleck Central Park Mall Statue 4349." Flickr, 30 Aug. 2020, https://www.flickr.com/photos/93779577@N00/50288122002. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022

“Fitz-Greene Halleck.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/fitz-greene-halleck. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

“Fitz-Greene Halleck.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitz-Greene_Halleck#Works. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Bread and Cheese Club." Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Jul. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bread-and-Cheese-Club. Accessed 28 February 2022.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Fitz-Greene Halleck." Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fitz-Greene-Halleck. Accessed 28 February 2022.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Joseph Rodman Drake." Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Sep. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Rodman-Drake. Accessed 28 February 2022.