American writer, a biographer, editor, naturalist, traveler and civic leader. A poet of nature, he was best remembered for “Thanatopsis,” and for being editor for 50 years of the New York Evening Post.
Bryant was the son of Dr. Peter Bryant and Sarah Snell Bryant. The political conservatism of his father stimulated the writing of “The Embargo” in 1808, in which the 13-year-old poet demanded the resignation of President Jefferson. But in “Thanatopsis” (from the Greek “a view of death”), which he wrote when he was 17 and which made him famous, he rejected his father’s Puritan dogma for Deism; thereafter he was a Unitarian. He studied law privately and at 21 was admitted to the bar, spending nearly 10 unhappy years as an attorney.
Bryant established himself as a poet with “Poems” in 1821. In 1825 he moved to New York City to become co-editor of the New York Review. He became an editor of the Evening Post in 1827; in 1829 he became editor-in-chief and part owner and continued in this position until his death. His careful investment of his income made Bryant wealthy. He was an active patron of the arts and academia.
In 1834 he traveled to Europe for the first time, making a second trip in 1945 and a final trip after his wife’s death in 1866. In his later years he devoted considerable time to translations, publishing his translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey in 1870-72.
In 1821 Bryant married Frances Fairchild, with whom he was happy until her death in 1866. They had two daughters, Fanny Bryant Godwin and Julia Sands Bryant. Bryant died on 6/12/1878 in New York City after a fall.
Link to Wikipedia biography