Fitz-Greene Halleck

The least known literary figure today on Literary Walk, Halleck was a writer of satirical and romantic verse, and for many years the personal secretary to the eminent John Jacob Astor. The statue has the distinction of having been dedicated by U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

A Connecticut native and descendant of Pilgrims, Halleck’s best known work was Marco Bozzaris – a poem that became a standard classroom recitation. Halleck also wrote lyrics for poet Robert Burns, whose own statue stands nearby – along with Sir Walter Scott and William Shakespeare. The sculpture was commissioned after his 1867 death by publisher and Central Park proponent William Cullen Bryant and General James Grant Wilson. It was created by James MacDonald. President Hayes and an estimated crowd of 10,000 spectators attended its 1877 dedication. The gathering left so much damage to the surrounding turf that Park officials subsequently banned such large crowds.