IRVING, Washington, American author: b. New York, 3 April 1783; d. Tarrytown, N. Y., 28 Nov. 1859. His father, William Irving, mer chant, came to New York from the Orkneys in 1763, having married Sarah Sanders, daughter of Cornish parents, two years before. Wash ington was the youngest of their 11 children. His school training was far from thorough, and was not directed toward academic culture —though two of his brothers had been sent to Columbia College—a decision of his father that he much regretted in maturer years. He made up for his lack of interest in school sub jects by enthusiastic reading in English authors, particularly Chaucer and Spenser. At 16 be entered a law office, and in 1802 began author ship by contributing humorous sketches, over the name of "Jonathan Oldstyle,' to The Morn ing Chronicle, a daily edited by his brother Peter. Developing symptoms of consumption, he sailed in 1804 for France, and spent two years in travel, on the continent and in Eng land, which restored his health. On return he was admitted to the bar, but instead of prac tice began, in 1807, with his brother William and James K. Paulding, the issue of 'Salma gundi,' the success of which determined his career, and the immediate character of his writing. At the close of the next year he set about reshaping the burlesque history of New York, which he had beguil, with Peter Irving, some time before on a different plan. While in this work he met with the great affliction of his life, the loss of his betrothed, Matilda Hoff man, daughter of a prominent lawyer of the city, in whose office he had finished his legal studies. The completion of the book, 'Dietrich Knickerbocker's History of New York,' pub lished in 1809, was the only solace that he per mitted himself in the first months of seclusion and grief. In 1810 he wrote a short life of the poet Campbell, and was received into partner ship by his brothers Peter and Ebenezer, who were founding an importing house, and wished to provide Washington the means, without con tribution of time or labor to the business, of preparing himself more fully for his chosen work. In 1813 and 1814 he edited the Analectsc Magazine, published in Philadelphia, and con tributed biographical articles upon some of the naval commanders in the war then in progress with Great Britain. After the burning of our national capital in 1814 he offered his services to his native State, and was made aide-de-camp to Governor Tompkins, with the rank of colonel. At the close of the war he sailed for England, and was received with distinction by the American artists Allston and Leslie, and by Scott, Campbell, Moore and other literary men. In 1818 the firm of P and E. Irving and Co. failed, and Washington's pleasant rambles in England and Scotland came to an end. He de clined a post in the navy board, at home, and set himself at work in London with his pen. Early in the next year he sent over for publica tion in New York and Philadelphia the first number of the 'Sketch Book,' containing 'The Voyage,' 'Roscoe,' 'The Wife' and 'Rip Van Winkle.> Other numbers followed, the success was great, and in 1820 John Murray brought out an edition of the work in London_ Its popularity with British readers was such that Murray became the first publisher of 'Brace bridge Hall> (1822), 'Tales of a Traveller' (1824), and other works. In 1826 Irving went to Madrid at the instance of his friend, Alex ander H. Everett, American minister to Spain, who advised the translation of Naverrete's 'Voyages of Columbus,' then issuing in parts.
Irving found the work impracticable to trans late, being a collection of sources rather than a consistent narrative, and prepared instead the 'History of the Life and Voyages of Christo pher Columbus,' finished in 1828. This first serious product of Irving's powers retained much of the ease and charm of 'The Sketch Book' and 'Tales of a Traveller,' and was eminently adapted to inprease his fame. It was not especially successful, though Murray paid 3,000 guineas for the copyright; an abridgment of the work had a better sale. 'The Conquest of Granada' (1829),
of Colum bus> (1831) and (The Alhambra> (1832) were further fruits of his Spanish studies and travel In the meantime he had been made secretary of legation (1829) in London, and received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature (1830), and the degree of LL.D. (1831) from Oxford. In 1832 he returned to America, but not to rest. He accompanied an Indian com mission to Fort Gibson, on the Arkansas River, and wrote (Tour on the Prairies,' published as the first volume of
Miscellanies,' in 1835. The second volume,
In 1836 he finished (Astoria,' with the help of his nephew, Pierre M. Irving, from materials furnished by John Jacob Astor. The next year he published