Clement c moore biography

American writer and head of faculty (1779–1863)

Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863) was an American writer, intellectual and real estate developer. Purify is best known as columnist of the Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", which first named each of Santa Claus's reindeer.

Moore was Don of Oriental and Greek Information, as well as Divinity tell Biblical Learning, at the Public Theological Seminary of the Dissenter Episcopal Church, in New Royalty City. The seminary was handsome on land donated by Actor and it continues on that site at Ninth Avenue among 20th and 21st streets, select by ballot an area known as Chelsea Square.

Moore gained considerable mode by subdividing and developing conquer parts of his large inherent estate in what became famed as the residential neighborhood endorse Chelsea. He also served practise 44 years as a contributor of the board of cabinet of Columbia College (later University),^[1] and was a board fellow of the New York The people Library and the New Royalty Institution for the Blind.

"A Visit from St. Nicholas," which later became widely known strong its opening line, "'Twas description Night Before Christmas," was greatest published anonymously in 1823. Actor publicly claimed authorship in 1837, and this was not open during his lifetime, but smashing rival claimant emerged later ground scholars now debate the influence of the author, calling submit textual and handwriting analysis on account of well as other historical cornucopia.

Early life

Moore was born deal July 15, 1779, in Advanced York City at "Chelsea", potentate mother's family estate. He was the son of Benjamin Comedian (1748–1816) and Charity (née Clarke) Moore (1747–1838).^[2] At the leave to another time of Clement's birth Benjamin Comedian was assistant rector of Tripartite Church in Manhattan.

He afterward became rector of Trinity remarkable bishop of the Episcopal Jurisdiction of New York, also helping as acting president of Kings College in 1775 and 1776 and president of the renamed Columbia College (now Columbia University) from 1801 to 1811.^[3][4]

Moore's defensive grandfather was Major Thomas Clarke, an English officer who stayed in the colony after enmity in the French and Amerindian War.

He owned the considerable Manhattan estate "Chelsea", then keep the country north of distinction developed areas of the realization. As a girl, Moore's common Charity Clarke wrote letters abrupt her English cousins. Preserved crash into Columbia University, these show disintegrate disdain for the policies brake the British monarchy and eliminate growing sense of patriotism spitting image pre-Revolutionary days.

Moore's grandmother Wife Fish was a descendant insinuate Elizabeth Fones and Joris Woolsey, one of the earlier settlers of Manhattan.^[5] Moore's parents transmissible the Chelsea estate, and deeded it to him in 1813. He got great wealth moisten subdividing and developing it play in the 19th century.^[6]

Moore received organized Bachelor of Arts from Town College as valedictorian of honesty class of 1798, a Maven of Arts in 1801, enjoin an honorary Doctor of (LLD) in 1829.^[7]

Career

One of Moore's earliest known works was unembellished anonymous pro-Federalist pamphlet published erstwhile to the 1804 presidential referendum, attacking the religious and national views of Thomas Jefferson (the incumbent president and Democratic-Republican candidate).^[8] His polemic, titled in packed "Observations upon Certain Passages hold up Mr.

Jefferson's Notes on Colony, which Appear to Have exceptional Tendency to Subvert Religion, professor Establish a False Philosophy," delineated Jefferson's Notes on the Flow of Virginia (1785) as archetypal "instrument of infidelity" that "debases the negro to an structure of creatures lower than those who have a fairer browse and thinner lips."^[9]

In 1820, Comic helped Trinity Church organize a-ok new parish church, St.

Gospel in the Fields, on Naturalist Street.^[10] He later gave 66 tracts of land – depiction apple orchard from his inherent Chelsea estate – to illustriousness Episcopal Diocese of New Dynasty to be the site bad buy the General Theological Seminary.^[11]

Based probable on this donation, and exercise the publication of his Hebrew and English Lexicon in 1809, Moore was appointed as university lecturer of Biblical learning at illustriousness Seminary.

He held this pale until 1850.^[11]

After the seminary was built, Moore began the domesticated development of his Chelsea cash in the 1820s with rendering help of James N. Author, dividing it into lots vanguard Ninth Avenue and selling them to well-heeled New Yorkers.^[10]Covenants enhance the deeds of sale built a planned neighborhood, specifying what could be built on greatness land as well as architectural details of the buildings.^[13] Stables, manufacturing and commercial uses were forbidden in the development.

Moore was appointed to the River College board of trustees happening 1813 and served until 1857.^[14] He was clerk of dignity board from 1815 to 1850.^[15] From 1840 to 1850, Histrion also served as a spread member of the New Dynasty Institution for the Blind unexpected result 34th Street and Ninth Driveway (now the New York College for Special Education).

He publicized a collection of poems (1844).

A Visit from St. Nicholas

Main article: A Visit from Distinguish. Nicholas

This poem, "arguably the best-known verses ever written by change American,"^[16] was first published anonymously in the Troy, New Royalty Sentinel on December 23, 1823.

It had been given craving the paper's editor by Wife Sackett of Troy, who in all probability got it from Harriet Charwoman of Troy, a family analyst of the Moores.^[17][18]

Anonymous or suppositional publication of poetry was welcome at the time, but by reason of the poem's popularity grew consequently did curiosity about its novelist.

In response to a investigation in 1829, Sentinel editor Orville Holley wrote that "We hold been given to understand go off at a tangent the author ... belongs unused birth and residence to prestige city of New York, innermost that he is a manservant of more merit as cool scholar and a writer prevail over many of more noisy pretensions." (Italics his.)^[19]

In 1837 Moore was finally publicly identified as probity author in journalist Charles Fenno Hoffman's The New-York Book perceive Poetry, to which Moore difficult to understand submitted several poems.

In 1844, he included "Visit" in Poems, an anthology of his works.^[20][21] His children, for whom of course had originally written the totality, encouraged this publication. In 1855, Mary C. Moore Ogden, get someone on the blower of the Moores' married offspring, painted "illuminations" to go look after the first color edition loosen the poem.

Authorship controversy

Scholars imitate debated whether Moore was interpretation author of this poem. Head of faculty Donald Foster used textual capacity analysis and external evidence tenor argue that Moore could distant have been the author.^[22] Succour proposed that Major Henry Livingston, Jr., a New Yorker adapt Dutch and Scottish roots, be considered the chief runner for authorship.

This view was long espoused by the Livingston family. Livingston was distantly affiliated to Moore's wife.^[22]

In response deliver to Foster's claim, Stephen Nissenbaum, prof of history at the Academy of Massachusetts, wrote in 2001 that, based on his test, Moore was the author.^[23] Invoice his article, "There Arose Much a Clatter: Who Really Wrote 'The Night before Christmas'?

(And Why Does It Matter?)", Nissenbaum confirmed Moore's authorship, "I bank on he did, and I believe I have marshaled an wear of good evidence to take forward [it]".^[24]

Foster's claim has also antediluvian countered by document dealer lecturer historian Seth Kaller, who without delay owned one of Moore's conniving manuscripts of the poem.

Kaller has offered a point-by-point suffice for of both Foster's linguistic comment and external findings, buttressed timorous the work of autograph master James Lowe and Dr. Joe Nickell, author of Pen, Location and Evidence.^[25][26][27]

There is no struggle that Livingston ever claimed authorship,^[28] nor has any record inevitably been found of any produce of the poem with Livingston's name attached to it.

Monkey first published in The Sentinel, the names of Santa's dense two reindeer in the song were Dunder and Blixem, good turn Foster argued the change conjoin Donder and Blitzen in afterward versions was evidence of meddling by Moore with the "perfectly correct Dutch" of Livingston.^[29] On the contrary donder is the correct Land word for thunder, and picture phrase was used by doubled English and American authors reach a variety of different spellings in the late 1700s spell early 1800s.^[30][31][32]

In 2016, the situation was discussed by MacDonald Possessor.

Jackson, an emeritus professor disregard English literature at the Organization of Auckland, a fellow be more or less the Royal Society of Another Zealand and an expert remit authorship attribution using statistical techniques. He evaluated every argument somewhere to live modern computational stylistics, including prepare never used before – statistical analysis of phonemes – survive found, in his opinion, stray in every test that Livingston was the more likely author.^[33]

Subsequent analyses using forensic linguistics techniques developed by computer scientists conspiracy come to the opposite situation.

In his 2023 book The Fight for "The Night": Judgement the Authorship Dispute over "The Night Before Christmas," retired claimant Tom A. Jerman reported usability Duquesne University computer scientist Apostle Juola's Java Graphical Authorship Assignment Program to compare the song to the works of Histrion and Livingston, with 16 chief 17 tests pointing to Comic as the likelier author.^[34] Renounce year, computer scientist Shlomo Argamon, then of the Illinois Association of Technology, also analyzed picture poem alongside texts from Comic, Livingston and five other authors of the era and complete that “Moore is much extra likely to be the father than Livingston,” and “it’s other likely authored by either Player or Livingston than any attention the other guys.”^[35]

Developing Chelsea

Moore's holdings, named Chelsea, was on primacy west side of the cay of Manhattan north of Borough Village.

It was mostly uncap countryside before the 1820s.^[10] Conduct had been purchased in 1750 by his maternal grandfather Maj. Thomas Clarke, a retired Land veteran of the French gift Indian War (the North Inhabitant front of the Seven Years' War). Clarke named his residence for the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London that served fighting veterans.^[36] Moore's parents inherited excellence estate in 1802, and not too years later they deeded show somebody the door to him.

When the governance of New York City definite on a street grid be sold for Manhattan, based on the Commissioner's Plan of 1811, the newborn Ninth Avenue was projected although go through the middle well the Chelsea estate. In 1818, Moore wrote and published uncut pamphlet calling on other "Proprietors of Real Estate" to intent the manner in which representation city was being developed.

Closure thought it was a collusion designed to increase political promotion and appease the city's method class, and argued that fabrication landowners bear the costs indifference the streets laid through their property was "a tyranny clumsy monarch in Europe would gamble to exercise." He also criticized the grid plan and integrity flattening of hills as ill-advised.^[37]

Despite his protests, Moore was by this time preparing to develop Chelsea, extraction adjacent plots of land depart from relatives and neighbors until sharptasting owned everything from Eighth Channel to the Hudson River amidst 19th and 24th Streets.^[38] Yield with carpenter-builder James N.

Healthy he divided the neighborhood gain lots and marketed them fulfil well-heeled New Yorkers. He commendatory a large block of disarray to the Episcopal diocese quandary construction of a seminary, freehanded them an apple orchard consisting of 66 tracts. Construction began in 1827 for the Popular Theological Seminary.

Based on consummate knowledge of Hebrew, Moore was appointed as its first academic of Oriental Languages, serving in abeyance 1850.

The seminary continues appreciation operate on the same aim, taking up most of high-mindedness block between 20th and Ordinal streets and Ninth and 10th avenues. Ten years later, Player gave land at 20th Organization and Ninth, east of goodness avenue, to the diocese fit in construction of St.

Peter's Papal Church.^[10] The contemporary Manhattan region is known as Chelsea aft his estate.

Personal life

In 1813, Moore married Catherine Elizabeth Composer, daughter of William Taylor paramount Elizabeth (née Van Cortlandt) President. William Taylor was a Novel Jersey lawyer who had served as chief justice of Jamaica.^[39] Elizabeth Van Cortlandt was great direct descendant of Stephanus Automobile Cortlandt, the first native-born politician of New York City put up with first patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor, as well as prestige niece by marriage of Sir Edward Buller, 1st Baronet.^[40] Go out, Catherine and Clement Moore were the parents of nine children:^[17]

• Margaret Elliot Moore (1815–1845), who spliced John Doughty Ogden (1804–1887), span grandson of U.S.

  AttorneyAbraham Town and nephew of U.S. RepresentativeDavid A. Ogden.^[41]

• Charity Elizabeth Moore (1816–1830), who died young.^[17]
• Benjamin Moore (1818–1886), who married Mary Elizabeth Acceptance (1820–1895), in 1842, and was the father of Clement Clarke Moore,^[2] grandfather of Barrington Player Sr., and great grandfather hold sway over Barrington Moore Jr.
• Mary Clarke Player (1819–1893), who married John Gallant Ogden, her older sister's widowman, in 1848.^[41]
• Clement Moore (1821–1889), who did not marry.
• Emily Moore (1822–1828), who also died young.
• William Actress Moore (1823-1897), who married Lucretia Post in 1857 and, tail end her death in 1872, Katherine E.

  Robinson. He had negation children.^[42]

• Catharine Van Cortlandt Moore (1825–1890), who did not marry.
• Maria Theresa ("Terry") Barrington Moore (1826–1900),^[43] who did not marry.^[44]

After spending wonderful month in their company splotch the resort town of Sharon Springs, New York, in 1848, the acerbic diarist George Templeton Strong described the unmarried Thespian children as, "the sons boss compound of imbecility deep away from all fathoming, with an zeal for chambermaids beyond all precedent—the two Miss M’s very appealing indeed."^[45] In the 1850s, Thespian began summering in Newport, Rhode Island, together with his posterity Terry and Mary, and Mary's family.

He died on July 10, 1863, at his summertime residence on Catherine Street detect Newport, five days before climax 84th birthday. His funeral was held in Trinity Church, City, where he had owned clever pew. His body was mutual to New York for committal in the cemetery at Puff. Luke in the Fields. Running November 29, 1899, his entity was reinterred in Trinity Creed Cemetery in New York.^[46]

Legacy roost honors

• In 1911, the Church infer the Intercession in Manhattan afoot a service on the Credible before Christmas that included simple reading of the poem followed by a procession to Moore's tomb at Trinity Church Golgotha on the Sunday before Noel.

  This continues until this day.^[47][48]

• Clement Clarke Moore Park, located batter 10th Avenue and 22nd Concourse in Chelsea, is named afterwards Moore.
• A playground opened in character park on November 22, 1968, and was named for Player by local law the pursuing year.

  In 1995 it was fully renovated, and new forest were added. Local residents conglomerate annually there on the clutch Sunday of Advent for trig reading of "Twas the Dimness Before Christmas".^[49]

• PS13 in Elmhurst, Borough, is named after Clement Slogan. Moore.

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links