William Bryant was born in 1794 in Massachusetts. His ancestors arrived on the famous Mayflower. After college he became a lawyer.

At fourteen he published his first book of poetry, though it wasn’t until nine years later that he earned attention for his work. He wrote in the style of English romantics and wrote of New England, making his work popularly accepted. A couple of his most famous poems are The West Wind, The Forest Hymn.

He became editor of the New York Evening Post in 1829. He used the paper to promote his anti-slavery stance. As such, he was one of the founders of the Republican Party and a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln.

Bryant died in 1878.