William Cullen Bryant
From Philosopedia
William Cullen Bryant (3 November 1794 - 12 June 1878)
Before he was twenty-one, Bryant had written such memorable poems as “The Yellow Violet,” “To A Waterfowl,” and a purely pagan poem in which there is no “Christian hope” nor “source of redemption” theme, “Thanatopsis.” Putnam remarks that the latter poem “might have been written by some old Greek. It is natural and human.”
In 1826, Bryant became associate editor of the New York Evening Post, and from 1829 until his death he was part owner and editor in chief. A defender of human rights, an advocate of free trade and of the abolition of slavery, he also was the earliest American theorist of poetry. His editorial influence contributed to the setting up in New York City of Central Park, which he envisioned as a public place where city dwellers could relax in a natural setting. New York City named a major park, the one adjacent to the 42nd Street Library, after him.
Bryant was a member in New York City of the Unitarian Church of All Souls.
The house he lived in, now the site of Xavier High School, was on 15th Street, between 6th and 5th Avenues, in Manhattan, New York City. Bryant died of complications from an accidental fall.
