Thomas Dunn English
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Thomas Dunn English (June 29, 1819 – April 1, 1902) was an American Democratic Party politician from
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who represented the state's 6th congressional district in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
from 1891 to 1895. He was also a published author and songwriter, who had a bitter feud with
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
. Along with Waitman T. Barbe and
Danske Dandridge Danske Dandridge (November 19, 1854 – June 3, 1914) was a Danish-born American poet, historian, and garden writer. Along with her contemporaries, Waitman T. Barbe and Thomas Dunn English, Dandridge was considered a major poet of late 19th-centu ...
, English was considered a major
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
poet of the mid 19th century.


Biography

English was born in
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 ...
on June 29, 1819. He attended the Friends Academy in
Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...
, and graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...
in 1839. His graduation thesis was on
phrenology Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the Human brain, brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific ...
. He studied law, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1842. He was a founding member of the
American Numismatic Society The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is a New York City-based organization dedicated to the study of coins, money, medals, tokens, and related objects. Founded in 1858, it is the only American museum devoted exclusively to their preservation ...
in 1858. By then, his career as a
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
and writer was already well underway.


Literary pursuits

English wrote scores of poems and plays as well as stories and novels, but his reputation as a writer was built on the
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
"
Ben Bolt "Ben Bolt" ( Roud 2653) is a sentimental ballad with lyrics derived from a poem by Thomas Dunn English. It enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the English-speaking world during the nineteenth century. History Thomas Dunn English wrote the ...
" (1843). Written for Nathaniel Parker Willis's ''
New-York Mirror The ''New-York Mirror'' was a weekly newspaper published in New York City from ''1823 to 1842''. Founded by George Pope Morris and Samuel Woodworth, it was a prominent publication that focused on literature, the fine arts, and local news. It pla ...
'', it was turned into a song and became very popular, with a ship, steamboat and racehorse soon named in its honor. American opera singer Eleonora de Cisneros recorded this on an Edison
Blue Amberol Blue Amberol Records was the trademark name for cylinder records manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in the US from 1912 to 1929. They replaced the 4-minute black wax Amberol cylinders introduced in 1908, which had replaced the 2-minute wa ...
cylinder in 1912. Other works include the temperance novel ''Walter Woolfe, or the Doom of the Drinker'' in 1842 and the political romance ''MDCCCXLII. or the Power of the S. F.'' in 1846.Griswold, Rufus Wilmot (ed). ''The Poets and Poetry of America''. Philadelphia: Parry and McMillan, 1855: 576. He was the founding editor of the monthly ''The Aristidean'' in New York, which printed its first issue in February 1845. English later edited several other journals, including the humorous magazine ''The John Donkey'', '' American Review: A Whig Journal'' and '' Sartain's Magazine''. English was a friend of author
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
, but the two fell out amidst a public scandal involving Poe and the writers
Frances Sargent Osgood Frances Sargent Osgood (née Locke; June 18, 1811 – May 12, 1850) was an American poet and one of the most popular women writers during her time.Silverman, 281 Nicknamed "Fanny", she was also famous for her exchange of romantic poems with Edgar ...
and Elizabeth F. Ellet. After suggestions that her letters to Poe contained indiscreet material, Ellet asked her brother to demand the return of the letters. Poe, who claimed he had already returned the letters, asked English for a pistol to defend himself from Ellet's infuriated brother. English was skeptical of Poe's story and suggested that he end the scandal by retracting the "unfounded charges" against Ellet. The angry Poe pushed English into a fistfight, during which his face was cut by English's ring.Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. Harper Perennial, 1991: 291. Poe later claimed to have given English "a flogging which he will remember to the day of his death", though English denied it; either way, the fight ended their friendship and stoked further gossip about the scandal. Later that year, Poe harshly criticized English's work as part of his "Literati of New York" series published in ''
Godey's Lady's Book ''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1896. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civi ...
'', referring to him as "a man without the commonest school education busying himself in attempts to instruct mankind in topics of literature". The two had several confrontations, usually centered around literary caricatures of one another. One of English's letters which was published in the July 23, 1846, issue of the ''New York Mirror'' caused Poe to successfully sue the editors of the ''Mirror'' for
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
. Poe was awarded $225.06 as well as an additional $101.42 in court costs. That year English published a novel called ''1844, or, The Power of the S.F.'' Its plot made references to
secret societies A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...
, and ultimately was about revenge. It included a character named Marmaduke Hammerhead, the famous author of ''The Black Crow'', who uses phrases like "Nevermore" and "lost Lenore." The clear parody of Poe was portrayed as a drunkard, liar, and domestic abuser. Poe's story "
The Cask of Amontillado "The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of ''Godey's Lady's Book''. The story, set in an unnamed Italy, Italian city at carnival time, is about a man taking fa ...
" was written as a response, using very specific references to English's novel. Another Poe revenge tale, "
Hop-Frog "Hop-Frog" (originally "Hop-Frog; Or, the Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character, a person with dwarfism taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a ki ...
", may also reference English. Years later, in 1870, when English edited the magazine '' The Old Guard'', founded by the Poe-defender
Charles Chauncey Burr Charles Chauncey Burr (c. 1817–1883) was an American journalist, author and publisher. A native of Maine, he became an intimate friend of Edgar Allan Poe and his family, and published a number of magazines and newspapers. Biography Burr had a v ...
, he found occasion to publish both an anti-Poe article (June 1870) and an article defending Poe's greatest detractor
Rufus Wilmot Griswold Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13, 1815 – August 27, 1857) was an American anthologist, editor, poet, and critic. Born in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old. He worked as a journalist, editor, and critic in Philadelphia, New ...
(October 1870).


Political career

English's first foray into politics was as an advocate of the
annexation of Texas The Republic of Texas was annexed into the United States and admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845. The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico on March 2, 1836. It applied for annexatio ...
. He moved to present-day
Logan, West Virginia Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Logan County. History What is now Logan was initially c ...
, in 1852, to
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in 1857, and to
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, a year later. He was a member of the
New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
in 1863 and 1864.Thomas Dunn English profile
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...
. Accessed August 13, 2007.
English was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1895. He was chairman of the Committee on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Fifty-third Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress.


Later life and death

After leaving Congress, English resumed his former literary pursuits in Newark. In 1896, he published ''Reminisces of Poe'', in which he hinted at scandals without specificity. He did, however, defend Poe against rumors of drug use: "Had Poe the
opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...
habit when I knew him (before 1846) I should both as a physician and a man of observation, have discovered it during his frequent visits to my rooms, my visits at his house, and our meetings elsewhere – I saw no signs of it and believe the charge to be a baseless slander".Quinn, Arthur Hobson. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography''. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998: 351. English died April 1, 1902, and was interred in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark. His monument notes him as "Author of Ben Bolt".


Selected list of works

* ''Zephaniah Doolittle'' (1838) (as Montmorency Sneerlip Snags Esq.) * ''Walter Woolfe, or the Doom of the Drinker'' (1842) * ''Ben Bolt'' (1843) * ''MDCCCXLII. or the Power of the S. F.'' (1846) * ''Gasology: A Satire'' (1877) * ''Reminiscences of Poe'' (1896)


References


External links

* * *
Bibliography of Thomas Dunn English
at Poetry-Archive.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Thomas Dunn 1819 births 1902 deaths Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia Writers from Philadelphia Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century New Jersey politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives People from Logan, West Virginia