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Irving, Washington

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From: U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Biography
Date: 20030101
Author:

Washington Irving

Born: April 3, 1783
New York, New York
Died: November 28, 1859
Irvington, New York
American author

Considered the first professional distinguished writer in the United States with short stories like "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Washington Irving was influential in the development of the short story form and helped to gain international respect for American literature.

Childhood

Washington Irving was born and raised in New York City, the youngest of eleven children of a prosperous merchant family. Named after President George Washington (1732 ...

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