Fitz-Greene Halleck

Fitz-Greene Halleck (July 8, 1790 – November 19, 1867) was an American poet and member of the Knickerbocker Group. Born and raised in Guilford, Connecticut, he went to New York City at the age of 20, and lived and worked there for nearly four decades. He was sometimes called "the American Byron". His poetry was popular and widely read but later fell out of favor. It has been studied since the late twentieth century for its homosexual themes and insights into nineteenth-century society.

In 1832, Halleck, a cultural celebrity, started working as personal secretary and adviser to the philanthropist John Jacob Astor, who appointed him as one of the original trustees of the Astor Library. Given an annuity by Astor's estate, in 1849 Halleck retired to Guilford, where he lived with his sister Marie Halleck for the remainder of his life.

Fitz-Greene Halleck was born on July 8, 1790, in Guilford, Connecticut, in a house at the corner of Whitfield and Water Streets. His father was Israel Halleck, who claimed descendance from a Peter Hallock who came to America from England with John Youngs in 1638. Israel Halleck was a loyalist during the American Revolution, and though he claimed to be a British Commissary, his son speculated that he was in reality only a sutler to the British forces. Israel Halleck also associated with the future King William IV of England, who was a midshipman in the navy at the time. Fitz-Greene's mother was Mary Eliot, great-great-granddaughter of the missionary John Eliot. Halleck's given name derives from the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, Anna Greene.