JAMES KIRKE PAULDING
American Pioneer Prose Writers
JAMES KIRKE PAULDING
Monograph Number Five in The Mentor Reading Course
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
Where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”
It is rather unusual to find that the most familiar writing of an author is merely a bit of nonsense. Yet the verse of James Kirke Paulding best known to us today is the tongue-twister quoted above. He wrote poetry, most of which is gracefully commonplace, and a good many novels, attractive in style but of no great interest.
James Kirke Paulding was born in Dutchess County, New York, on August 22, 1779. He attended the village school for a short time; but in 1800 went to New York City, where, in connection with his brother-in-law, William Irving, and Washington Irving, another of the American pioneer prose writers, he began to publish in January, 1807, a series of short, lightly humorous articles called the “Salmagundi Papers.” In 1814 a political pamphlet of his, “The United States and England,” attracted the notice of President Madison. He was favorably impressed, and the next year appointed him secretary to the Board of Navy Commissioners. He held this position until November, 1823. He was navy agent in New York City from 1825 to 1837.
Paulding was always a successful man of affairs and an able politician. In recognition of his ability, President Van Buren made him a member of his cabinet in 1837 as Secretary of the Navy.