Paul Allen (February 15, 1775 – August 18, 1826) was an American poet, historian, and editor.

Biography

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

on February 15, 1775, Allen studied at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, graduating in 1793. He later relocated to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he served as editor of ''

The Port Folio ''The Port Folio'' was an American literary and political magazine that was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1801 to 1827. History and notable features The Port Folio was first co-published in 1801 by Joseph Dennie and Asbury Dicki ...

'', the ''

Gazette of the United States The ''Gazette of the United States'' was an early American newspaper, first issued semiweekly in New York City on April 15, 1789, but moving the next year to Philadelphia when the nation's capital moved there the next year. It was friendly to t ...

'', and the ''Federal Republican''. Online edition by Bartleby.com, February 2010. While in Philadelphia, he edited a two-volume history of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

, published in 1814 in that city, but without mention of the actual author, banker Nicholas Biddle. Allen reached the height of his reputation after he moved to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, where he served as editor of the short-lived ''Journal of the Times'' and the more-successful ''Baltimore Morning Chronicle.'' He also joined the

Delphian Club The Delphian Club was an early American literary club active between 1816 and 1825. The focal point of Baltimore's literary community, Delphians like John Neal were prodigious authors and editors. The group of mostly lawyers and doctors gathe ...

, where he earned the "clubicular" name of Solomon Fitz Quizz and the title of Professor of Loblology, which was defined as "the science of endeavoring to do that which is impossible." He proposed publishing ''A History of the American Revolution'', but relied on fellow Delphians

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

and Dr. Tobias Watkins to write all but the preface to satisfy the subscribers to its publication in 1819.

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

considered Allen the country's best author of prose. In his 1824–25 critical work ''

American Writers The Lists of American writers include: United States By ethnicity *List of African-American writers *List of Asian American writers, List of Asian-American writers *List of Cuban American writers, List of Cuban-American writers *List of Egypti ...

'', Neal's assessment was more nuanced: "Mr. Allen is a showy, eloquent prose-writer—who never thinks, and, if he can help it, never reasons.... His prose is full of poetry—his poetry is miserably full of prose."

Death

Allen died in 1826, at which time he was still editor of the ''Baltimore Morning Chronicle.''

References

* Allen, Paul, ''The Life of Charles Brockden Brown'', 1814 (facsimile ed., 1975, Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, ).

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Paul American book editors Writers from Providence, Rhode Island 1775 births 1826 deaths American male poets 19th-century American poets 19th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers Writers from Baltimore 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American non-fiction writers Journalists from Maryland Brown University alumni Lewis and Clark Expedition people