James Kirke Paulding

James Kirke Paulding (1779-1860). Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

James Kirke Paulding (August 22, 1778 - April 6, 1860) was an American poet and civil servant, who served as Secretary of the Navy.

Life

Overview

Paulding, born in the state of New York, was chiefly self-educated. He became a friend of Washington Irving, and was part author with him of Salmagundi – a continuation of which by himself proved a failure. Among his other writings are John Bull and Brother Jonathan (1812), a satire, The Dutchman's Fireside (1831), a romance which attained popularity, a Life of Washington (1835), and some poems.

Youth

Paulding was born at Nine Partners, Dutchess County, New York, on August 22, 1778. He received little schooling. At 19 he moved to New York City, where he lived with his sister and her husband, William Irving (Washington Irving’s elder brother).

Career

With William and Washington Irving, he collaborated in Salmagundi (1807), the 2nd series of the same (1810) being by Paulding alone. During the War of 1812 he published the Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan; and in 1814 the United States and England, a defense against British criticisms. This work attracted attention and caused him to be appointed secretary of the board of navy commissioners.

In 1817 he published a defense of the Southern States and of slavery in Letters from the South, by a Northern Man; in 1822, A Sketch of Old England, by a New England Man; and in 1825 John Bull in America, or the New Munchausen, a satire on the writings of British tourists. Meanwhile he had published his debut novel, Koningsmarke (1823); Merry Tales of the Three Wise Men of Gotham (1826) followed, and other books, mainly humorous and satirical.

In 1814 Paulding’s brochure on The United States and England made him known to President Madison, and political preferment resulted. He became navy agent at New York City in 1825, a position from which he was advanced in 1837 to the post of Secretary of the Navy in Martin Van Buren's cabinet.

In 1831 he published The Dutchman's Fireside, a novel dealing with the old Dutch settlers. This, his best work, was followed by Westward Ho! (1832), a novel dealing with Kentucky. Next came a good biography of Washington (1835), and Slavery in the United States (1836).

On his retirement in 1841 he moved to a country residence at Hyde Park, New York, where he died.

Writing

Paulding was an accomplished man of letters, who as writer, statesman, and man of the world, cut a considerable figure in the life of his time. He is best remembered now for his association with Washington Irving; but his prose had a literary quality and finish which make it good reading to-day. He had a satiric humor, of the sort more familiar in Irving’s serio-comic Knickerbocker ‘History of New York.’ Had his activities been less diffused, had he stuck with more of single purpose to literature, his literary impress would have been deeper. As it is, he is an interesting part of the intellectual life of the early nineteenth century in the United States.

As a poet he was less successful. His most elaborate metrical writing is The Backwoodsman (1818), a study of emigrant life.

The Life of George Washington, published in 1835 and addressed to the youth of the country, is his most important critical work. Paulding is most enjoyable for the present reader in his lighter papers, and the literary skits of his early days. As joint author of the Salmagundi papers he has a certain distinction which in literary history will preserve his name.

Publications

Poetry

• Jokeby: A burlesque on Rokeby: A poem, in six cantos. Boston: W. Wells & T.B. Wait / New York : Eastburn, Kirk, 1813.
• The Lay of the Scottish Fiddle: A tale of Havre de Grace. New York: Inskeep & Bradford, 1813.
• The Backwoodsman: A poem. Philadelphia: M. Thomas, 1818.

Plays

• The Bucktails; or, Americans in England. Philadelphia: Carey & Hart,1847.
• The Lion of the West: retitled The Kentuckian; or, A trip to New York: A farce, in 2 acts. (edited by James N. Tidwell). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1954.

Novels

• The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan. New York: Inskeep & Bradford, 1812.
• A Sketch of Old England. New York: C. Wiley, 1822.
• Koningsmarke, the Long Finne: A story of the new world. (2 volumes), New York: C. Wiley, 1823.
• The Dutchman's Fireside: A tale. New York: J. & J. Harper, 1831; London: Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1831.
• Westward Ho: A tale. (2 volumes), New York: J. & J. Harper, 1832; Grosse Point, MI: Scholarly Press, 1968.
• A Gift from Fairy Land. New York: Appleton, 1838.
• The Old Continental; or, The price of liberty. (2 volumes), New York: Paine & Burgess, 1846.
• The Puritan and His Daughter. (2 volumes), New York: Baker & Scribner, 1849.

Short fiction

• John Bull in America; or, The new Munchausen. New York: C. Wiley, 1825; London: J. Miller, 1825.
• The Merry Tales of the Three Wise Men of Gotham. New York: G. & C. Carvill, 1826.
• Tales of the Good Woman. New York: G. & C. & H. Carvill, 1829..
• Childe Roeliff's pilgrimage, and other tales. 1834.

Non-fiction

• Salmagundi; or, The whim-whams and opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, esq. (with Washington Irving & William Irving). New York: David Longworth, 1807.
• The Beauties of Brother Bull-us. New York: James Eastburn / Philadelphia: M. Thomas, 1812.
• The United States and England. New York: A.H. Inskeep, 1815.
• Letters from the South: Written during an excursion in the summer of 1816. New York: James Eastburn, 1817; (2 volumes), New York: Harper, 1835.
• Salmagundi. Second series. 1819-20.
• The New Mirror for Travellers / Guide to the Springs. New York: G. & C. Carvill, 1828.
• Chronicles of the City of Gotham: From the papers of a retired common councilman. New York: G. & C. & H. Carvill, 1830.
• Slavery in the United States. New York: Harper, 1836.
• A Life of Washington. (2 volumes), New York: Harper, 1835.
• Book of Vagaries. New York: Scribner, 1868.

Juvenile

• The Book of St. Nicholas. New York: Harper, 1836
  • also published as Stories of St. Nicholas. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1995.

Letters

• Letters (edited by Ralph M. Aderman). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1962.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• The Knickerbocker poets
• List of U.S. poets

References

•  Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds (1905). "Paulding, James Kirke". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. . Wikisource, Web, Sep. 30, 2018.

External links

Poems

• "To Lancelot Langstaffe, Esq."
• "The Lay of the Scottish fiddle"
• James Kirke Paulding at Poetry Nook (13 poems)

Books

• James Kirke Paulding at Amazon.com

About

• James Kirke Paulding (1778-1860) at English Poetry, 1579-1830
• Critical and Biographical Introduction
• This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.. Original article is at: Paulding, James Kirke