Ralph Waldo Emerson

1803 – 1882 · died at about 79^[1][2]

Philosophy & Thought

Fun Facts About Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Ralph Waldo Emerson's private letter praising Leaves of Grass ended up in gold leaf on the cover of Walt Whitman's second edition, and Emerson was offended that it was made public.^[1][3][4]
• After his 1838 Divinity School Address said Jesus was a great man but not God, Emerson was denounced as an atheist and not invited back to speak at Harvard for thirty years.^[1]
• Emerson's question to Henry David Thoreau, "Do you keep a journal?", became a lifelong inspiration for Thoreau.^[1]
• In 1862 Emerson met Abraham Lincoln at the White House. Lincoln already knew his work, having seen him lecture.^[1][5][6]
• Friedrich Nietzsche recognized Emerson's influence, and the philosopher William James was Emerson's godson.^[1][7][8]
• Not everyone loved Emerson's essays: T. S. Eliot called them an "encumbrance."^[1][9][10]
• Ralph Waldo Emerson was alive at the same time as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1881–1882).^{[1][2][11][12]}
• Ralph Waldo Emerson and Kwame Nkrumah died on the same day of the year, April 27.^{[1][2][13][14]}

Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and conformity. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was "the most gifted of the Americans", and Walt Whitman called Emerson his "master".^[1]

Contemporaries

Victor Hugo

79 yr overlap

Charles Darwin

73 yr overlap

George Sand

72 yr overlap

Franz Liszt

71 yr overlap

Hans Christian Andersen

70 yr overlap

Giuseppe Verdi

69 yr overlap

Richard Wagner

69 yr overlap

Charles Babbage

68 yr overlap

Otto von Bismarck

67 yr overlap

Alexandre Dumas

67 yr overlap

Michael Faraday

64 yr overlap

Frederick Douglass

64 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Ralph Waldo Emerson

When was Ralph Waldo Emerson born?

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, and died on April 27, 1882.

How old was Ralph Waldo Emerson at death?

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, and died on April 27, 1882, at age 78.

What was Ralph Waldo Emerson known for?

Ralph Waldo Emerson was known for: Transcendentalist essayist of Self-Reliance. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and conformity. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was "the most gifted of the Americans", and Walt Whitman called Emerson his "master".

Who was alive at the same time as Ralph Waldo Emerson?

Ralph Waldo Emerson's closest contemporary was Victor Hugo. Their lives overlapped for 79 years.