Born: 31 May 1819 · Died: 26 March 1892 · Age at death: 72
How old was Walt Whitman when he died?
Walt Whitman died aged 72. He was born on 31 May 1819 and died on 26 March 1892.
American poet whose free-verse collection Leaves of Grass, including Song of Myself, celebrated democracy and the individual
Did you know?During the American Civil War, he worked as a volunteer nurse in military hospitals to care for wounded and dying soldiers.
Quick facts
Date of birth31 May 1819
Date of death26 March 1892
Age at death72
Cause of deathHunger
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceLong Island, United States
Occupationwriter, publisher, essayist
Editor's Take:
Walt Whitman created a new kind of American poetry. He worked as a printer, teacher and journalist. In 1855 he self-published Leaves of Grass. He kept expanding it for the rest of his life. His long, free lines celebrate the body, democracy and ordinary people. During the Civil War he nursed wounded soldiers in Washington. His elegy for Abraham Lincoln, O Captain! My Captain!, is widely known.
Key Milestones
1855: Leaves of Grass – first edition
1862: Washington – hospital volunteer
1865: O Captain! My Captain! – elegy for Lincoln
1873: Camden – moves to New Jersey
Walter Whitman Jr. (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels.
