Henry Livingston, Jr
| Henry Livingston Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. October 13, 1748 Poughkeepsie, Province of New York, British America |
| Died | February 29, 1828 (aged 79) Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Welles (m. 1774; her death 1783) Jane Patterson (m. 1793; his death 1828) |
| Children | 12 |
| Parent(s) |
Henry Livingston, Sr. Susannah Conklin |
| Relatives | See Livingston family |
Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. (October 13, 1748 – February 29, 1828) has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, more popularly known (after its first line) as The Night Before Christmas. Credit for the poem was taken in 1837 by Clement Clarke Moore, a Bible scholar in New York City, nine years after Livingston's death. It was not until another twenty years that the Livingston family knew of Moore's claim, and it was not until 1900 that they went public with their own claim. Since then, the question has been repeatedly raised and argued by experts on both sides.
Livingston was born on October 13, 1748, in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Dr. Henry Gilbert Livingston Sr. (1714–1799) and Susannah Storm Conklin (1724–1793). His siblings included Gilbert Livingston, Reverend John Henry Livingston, Cornelia Livingston Van Kleeck, Catherine Elizabeth Livingston Mifflin, Joanna Livingston Schenck, Susan Livingston Duyckinck, Alida Livingston Woolsey, Robert Henry Livingston, Beekman Livingston, Catherine H. Livingston and Helena Livingston Platt.
His maternal grandparents were Capt. John Conklin and Annetje (née Storm) Conklin. His paternal grandparents were Lt. Col. Hubertus "Gilbert" Livingston (b. 1690), himself the son of Robert Livingston the Elder, 1st Lord of Livingston Manor, and Cornelia (née Beekman) Livingston, a granddaughter of Wilhelmus Beekman, Mayor of New York, and niece of Gerardus Beekman.
Following his marriage in 1774, Livingston engaged in farming. Over the next ten years, Livingston began writing poetry and making drawings for his friends and family, some of which ended up in the pages of New York Magazine and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Although he signed his drawings, his poetry was usually anonymous or signed simply "R".
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