Clement Clarke Moore

Clement Clarke Moore (1779–1863) was an American biblical scholar and writer, traditionally credited with the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” later known as “The Night Before Christmas.”

A Visit from St. Nicholas: An 1823 poem depicting St. Nicholas’s Christmas Eve visit to a household. Moore is traditionally credited with writing this poem, first published anonymously.
Hebrew Bible: The collection of ancient Jewish scriptures that forms the textual basis of Judaism and part of the Christian Bible. Moore’s biblical scholarship included work on Hebrew-language scripture.
Benjamin Moore: An American Anglican bishop who served as president of Columbia College and bishop of New York. His father’s clerical career shaped the religious and academic world Moore entered.
Saint Nicholas: A fourth-century Christian bishop of Myra revered as a saint and associated with gift-giving. The poem transformed traditions about this saint into a domestic Christmas visitor.
Troy Sentinel: A newspaper published in Troy, New York, from 1823 to 1854. It printed the poem anonymously on December 23, 1823.
Columbia University: A private research university in New York City, founded as King’s College in 1754. Moore studied there and later served as a professor.
Mary Alice Van Dyke: Clement Clarke Moore’s wife, whom he married in 1813. Their household is traditionally identified as the setting for the poem’s composition.
Christmas in the United States: The holiday’s religious and cultural observances in the United States. Moore’s poem helped popularize a family-centered Christmas Eve celebration.
Henry Livingston Jr.: An American poet whose family claimed he wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” His competing claim has kept authorship disputed despite Moore’s traditional credit.
Trinity Church Cemetery: A historic cemetery in Manhattan associated with Trinity Church. Moore is buried there, near the New York institutions that shaped his life.

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ChristmasRelated: The poem strongly influenced the modern image of Santa Claus.