Author: Drake, Joseph Rodman
Biography:
Drake, Joseph Rodman (1795-1820: ANBO)
He was born in New York City to Jonathan and Hannah (Lawrence) Drake. After his father's death he stayed on in New York and was brought up by close relatives, while his mother remarried and moved to New Orleans with his sisters. He graduated from studies in medicine at Queen's College in 1816, but never practised. Shortly after, he married Sarah Eckford, the daughter of a shipbuilder, and travelled in Europe with her. With his friend Fitz-Greene Halleck (q.v.), he contributed satirical verses to the New York Evening Post, starting in March 1819; they shared the pseudonym "Croaker" (or a variant). He died of tuberculosis and his daughter edited the selection of poems published a decade later. (ANBO 25 Sept. 2018) HJ