Discover

'Thomas Dunn English' (June 29 1819 - April 1 1902) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the state's 6th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. He was also a published author and songwriter, who had a bitter ongoing feud with Edgar Allan Poe.

Contents

Biography

References

External links

Biography

English was born in Philadelphia, attended the Friends Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1839. He studied law, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1842, but mainly pursued journalism. He wrote the song "Ben Bolt" in 1843, and was the author of many poems, ballads, and lyrics. He moved to Virginia in 1852, to New York City in 1857, and to Newark, New Jersey a year later. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1863 and 1864.Thomas Dunn English profile, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 13 2007.
English and author Edgar Allan Poe were bitter rivals. The two had several confrontations, usually centered around literary caricatures of one another. One of English's letters went a bit too far, and Poe successfully sued his editors at the ''New York Mirror'' for libel in 1846.^[1] That year English published a novel called ''1844, or, The Power of the S.F.'' Its plot made references to secret societies, and ultimately was about revenge. It included a character named Marmaduke Hammerhead, the famous author of ''The Black Crow'', who uses phrases like "Nevermore" and "lost Lenore." The clear parody of Poe was portrayed as a drunkard, liar, and domestic abuser. Poe's story "The Cask of Amontillado" was written as a response, using very specific references to English's novel.^[2]
A letter from English printed in the July 23 1846 issue of the ''New York Mirror'' caused Poe to sue the newspaper for libel and defamation of character.^[3] Poe won the suit and was awarded $225.06 as well as an additional $101.42 in court costs.^[4]
English was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, serving in office from March 4 1891 to March 3 1895. He was chairman of the Committee on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Fifty-third Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress.
After leaving Congress, he resumed his former literary pursuits in Newark, until his death on April 1 1902. He was interred in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

References

1. Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. Harper Perennial, 1991. p. 312-3.
2. Rust, Richard D. "Punish with Impunity: Poe, Thomas Dunn English and 'The Cask of Amontillado'" in ''The Edgar Allan Poe Review'', Vol. II, Issue 2 - Fall, 2001, St. Joseph's University
3. Sova, Dawn B. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z''. Checkmark Books, 2001. p. 81, 83, 91
4. Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. Harper Perennial, 1991. p. 328.

External links

★

★ Thomas Dunn English at The Political Graveyard

★ Thomas Dunn Englishr at Find A Grave