Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)

Uncle Walt

Walter Whitman was born in the Long Island town of West Hills, New York on May 31, 1819. He spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn where his father worked as a carpenter. He loved the excitement of living and working in New York City and interacting with people.

Whitman taught school in rural parts of Long Island, worked as a type setter, and held editorial jobs at several newspapers. He is now considered America's greatest poet, but in his lifetime, he was often put on the defensive for his writings. The term "homosexual" did not enter into common usage in American culture until after his death, but Whitman wrote profusely of his love of men, or "comrades."

No Labor-Saving Machine

by W. Whitman

No labor-saving machine,
Nor discovery have I made,
Nor will I be able to leave behind me any wealthy bequest
to found a hospital or library,
Nor reminiscence of any deed of courage for America,
Nor literary success nor intellect, nor book for the book-shelf,
But a few carols vibrating through the air I leave,
For comrades and lovers.

Walt Whitman the Abolitionist

Walt Whitman was a staunch abolitionist. He was fired from his job as editor of "The Brooklyn Eagle" for his strong statements for abolishing slavery. He was likewise fired from a subsequent job at the "The Brooklyn Times" when religious leaders became offended by his outspoken nature.

Banned in Boston

In 1855, Walt Whitman self published a collection of 12 of his poems - - Leaves of Grass. Although it was not a commercial success, he drew the attention of fellow literary figures. Expanded editions of his poems were published under the same title later in his life. In 1881, The New England Society for the Suppression of Vice dubbed his work to be inappropriate for public viewing and threatened to sue its publisher.

I Hear It Was Charged Against Me

by W. Whitman

I hear it was charged against me that I sought to destroy institutions,
But really I am neither for nor against institutions,
(What indeed have I in common with them?
Or what with the destruction of them?)
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta
and in every city of these states inland and seaboard,
And in fields and woods, and above every keel little or large that dents the water,
Without edifices or rules or trustees or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.

Whitman and Lincoln

Whitman was fervently patriotic. He once wrote that "The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem." Whitman lived in Washington, DC from 1863-1873. He came to visit his brother George who had been wounded in a Civil War battle and stayed on as a volunteer nurse at the Armory Square Hospital. He would make the rounds of the hospital wards, which were actually converted federal office buildings, and deliver treats to the wounded.

The Wound Dresser (excerpt)

by W. Whitman

I onward go, I stop,
With hinged knees and steady hand to dress wounds,
I am firm with each, the pangs are sharp yet unavoidable,
One turns to me his appealing eyes-poor boy! I never knew you,
Yet I think I could not refuse this moment to die for you, if that would save you.

His generous nature and warm personality were well known to Washingtonians. Whitman befriended many people in the nation's capitol ranging from the working class to the Presidents that occupied the White House during this period. He worked at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but was fired from his job the by Secretary of Interior James Harlan when his connection to "Leaves of Grass" was discovered. With the help of friends, Whitman then got a job as a clerk in the Attorney General's office.

The occasion of Lincoln's assassination inspired Whitman to write the poems "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" and "O Captain! My Captain!."

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd (excerpt)

by W. Whitman

When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd,
And the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night,
I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.

Walt and Peter

Peter Doyle was an Irish immigrant who worked as a street car driver for the Washington and Georgetown Railroad in Washington DC. A chance meeting on a stormy evening led to a lifetime of companionship between Whitman and his "special friend."

Interview with Peter Doyle - May 1895

"The night was very stormy, - he had been over to see Burroughs before he came down to take the car - the storm was awful. Walt has his blanket - it was thrown round his shoulders - he seemed like an old see captain. He was the only passenger, it was a lonely night, so I thought I would go in and talk with him. Something in me made me do it and something in him drew me that way. He used to say there was something in me had the same effect on him. Anyway, I went into the car. We were familiar at once - I put my hand on his knee - we understood."

Doyle was in the audience at Ford's Theater on the night that President Lincoln was assassinated. He provided Whitman with first hand accounts of the events that unfolded which were later included in his poems.

The Good Gray Poet

Whitman was the target of attacks and slander because of his outspoken nature. He survived these trials with the support of friends and admirers. Despite repeated attempts to "sanitize" his works, Whitman never allowed the homosexual nature of his poems to be watered down or removed. He got the nickname "The Good Gray Poet" from William Douglas O'Connor, who wrote a pamphlet by that title in defense of Whitman and his work.

Whitman suffered a stroke in 1873 and was ordered by his physician to go to the Atlantic and convaless. He made it as far as Camden, New Jersey where he would spend the rest of his life. Whitman died in Camden New Jersey on March 26, 1892.