A Whitman Chronology

Significant Dates

SIGNIFICANT DATES 1819 Born 31 May in West Hills, Long Island, New York 1823 The Whitmans move to Brooklyn, New York 1823-1830 Lives at various Brooklyn locations and attends school 1830 Begins work as an office boy 1830-1834 Apprentices as a printer and at times lives separate from his family 1835 Works as a printer in New York City; loses job because of a fire in the printing district 1836-1838 Teaches in various schools on Long Island 1838-1839 Founds and publishes a weekly newspaper, the Long Islander, in Huntington, Long Island; writes for the Long Island Democrat 1840-1841 Teaches in Long Island schools; campaigns for Martin VanBuren 1841 Works in the printing office of New York City's New World; writes for the United States Magazine and Democratic Review 1842 Becomes an editor, first on New York City's Aurora and later on the Evening Tattler; publishes the novel Franklin Evans, or the Inebriate 1844 Publishes "My Boys and Girls" 1845 Writes for the Long Island Star 1846-1848 Edits the Brooklyn Daily Eagle; February 1848 goes to New Orleans to work on the Crescent; leaves Louisiana in May to return to Brooklyn 1848-1849 Edits the Brooklyn Freeman, a Free-Soil newspaper 1850-1854 Works as a journalist, housewright, and print and stationery store owner; takes ailing father to visit West Hills in 1853 or 1854 1855 Publishes first edition of Leaves ifGrass; father dies 1856 Publishes second edition of Leaves ifGrass; writes "The Eighteenth Presidency" around this time 1857-1859 Writes for and may have edited the Brooklyn Times; becomes one of the bohemians at Pfaff's bar and restaurant 1860 Spends part of year in Boston overseeing third edition of Leaves ifGrass; is advised by Emerson to delete some of the Leaves poems but declines 1861 Civil War breaks out; George Whitman enlists in Union Army 1862 George is wounded at Fredericksburg, Virginia; Walt goes to care for him and remains in Washington as a wound dresser 1863 Takes work with the Army Paymaster's Office in Washington; begins hospital visits to the wounded 1865 Works as a clerk in the Washington office of the Department of the Interior; meets Peter Doyle; Lincoln is assassinated; publishes Drum-Taps; dismissed from clerkship; publishes Drum-Taps and Sequel to Drum-Taps [xiv] SIGNIFICANT DATES 1866 William Douglas O'Connor defends Whitman in The Good Gray Poet 1867 Publishes "Democracy" and the fourth edition of Leaves ifGrass 1868 William M. Rossetti publishes Poems ifWalt Whitman in England 1871 Publishes the fifth edition of Leaves ifGrass, Democratic Vistas, and Passage to India; reads "After All, Not to Create Only" at opening of the National Industrial Exhibition in New York; Anne Gilchrist writes to Whitman professing her love 1872 Reads "As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free" at the Dartmouth College commencement; quarrels with William O'Connor 1873 Suffers a stroke and is partially paralyzed; mother dies; moves to Camden, New Jersey, to live with George and Louisa Whitman 1874 Leaves government position 1876 Republishes Leaves ifGrass and Two Rivulets to coincide with the nation's centennial; international controversy erupts over his alleged poverty and neglect; Anne Gilchrist arrives from England; begins friendship with Harry Stafford 1877 Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke of Canada visits 1878 First real improvement in health since stroke 1879 Gives first Lincoln lecture in New York; Anne Gilchrist returns to England; journeys west to Kansas and Colorado SIGNIFICANT DATES [xv] 1880 Visits Dr. Bucke in Canada 1881 Sixth edition of Leaves ifGrass is being published in Boston by James R. Osgood 1882 Osgood ceases publication of Leaves ifGrass when Boston's district attorney threatens prosecution for obscenity; Leaves ifGrass and Specimen Days are published by a Philadelphia press; Oscar Wilde visits 1884 Buys house at 328 Mickle Street, Camden, New Jersey 1885 Friends rally to make Whitman's life comfortable; Anne Gilchrist dies in England 1888 Publishes November Boughs and Complete Poems and Prose; Horace Traubel begins keeping records of his visits with Whitman 1889 Feted at a grand celebration of his seventieth birthday 1891 Publishes Good-Bye My Fancy and final (1891-1892) printing of Leaves ifGrass 1892 Dies on 26 March and is buried in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey [xvi] SIGNIFICANT DATES ...