Walt Whitman: 1819-1892

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, Long Island. At age eleven Whitman concluded formal schooling. He then looked for employment for further income for his family; he was an office boy for two lawyers and later worked for a weekly Long Island newspaper.

Largely self-taught, Whitman attended lectures and visited museums and libraries where he studied theatre, history and geography .

During the Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, Whitman worked as a clerk in Washington- He spent most of his free time and money caring for the sick; he was earning modest royalties from his writings and had a small income from his work.

A paralytic attack in 1873 destroyed Whitman's health and he was forced to give up his work.

At the age of sixty-four, Whitman settled in Camden, New Jersey, where he spent almost the rest of his life..

Whitman died on March 26, 1892, in Camden.