James Henry Leigh Hunt (October 19, 1784 - August 28, 1859) was an English essayist and writer.

He was born at Southgate, London, Middlesex, where his parents had settled after leaving the USA. His father, a Philadelphia lawyer, and his mother, a merchant's daughter, had been forced to come to Britain because of their loyalist sympathies in the American War of Independence. Leigh Hunt's father took orders, and became a popular preacher, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a permanent living. He was engaged by James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos, as tutor to his nephew, James Henry Leigh, after whom Leigh Hunt was named. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, of which he left a personal account in his autobiography. As a boy, he was an ardent admirer of Thomas Gray and William Collins, writing many verses in imitation of them. A speech impediment, later cured, prevented his going to university. "For some time after I left school," he says, "I did nothing but visit my school-fellows, haunt the book-stalls and write verses." His poems were published in 1801 under the title of Juvenilia, and introduced him into literary and theatrical society. He began to write for the newspapers, and published in 1807 a volume of theatre criticism, and a series of Classic Tales with critical essays on the authors.

In 1808 he left the War Office, where he had been working as a clerk, to become editor of the Examiner, a newspaper founded by his brother, John. The new journal with which Leigh Hunt was connected for thirteen years soon acquired a reputation. Its political independence was unusual for the time; it would attack any worthy target, "from a principle of taste," as John Keats expressed it. These attacks were not always inoffensive; and in 1813, an attack on the Prince Regent, based on substantial truth, resulted in prosecution and a sentence of two years' imprisonment for each of the brothers.

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The groundwork of all happiness is health. Leigh Hunt
jsouth51 (Joyce South) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:42:25 -0000
The groundwork of all happiness is health. Leigh Hunt
Leigh Hunt's finest sentence: 'At all events, Severn drinks tea and lobster-saladizes with me on Sunday.' http://tr.im/IiHl
thetearooms (The Tea Rooms) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:22:09 -0000
Leigh Hunt's finest sentence: 'At all events, Severn drinks tea and lobster-saladizes with me on Sunday.' http://tr.im/IiHl
The groundwork of all happiness is health. - Leigh Hunt
weightlossecrt (Amanda Powlesland) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:55:31 -0000
The groundwork of all happiness is health. - Leigh Hunt
The groundwork of all happiness is health. Leigh Hunt
jvmarket (Vic (Web Services)) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:26:30 -0000
The groundwork of all happiness is health. Leigh Hunt
"Stolen kisses are always sweetest." - Leigh Hunt (via kissez) http://tumblr.com/xfj4v0hkj
duhhnika (Danica Lowry) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:27:07 -0000
"Stolen kisses are always sweetest." - Leigh Hunt (via kissez) http://tumblr.com/xfj4v0hkj
"Stolen kisses are always sweetest." - Leigh Hunt (via kissez) (via infinitelycaptivating) http://tumblr.com/xlz4uwc5d
amandalouu (Amanda) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:01:47 -0000
"Stolen kisses are always sweetest." - Leigh Hunt (via kissez) (via infinitelycaptivating) http://tumblr.com/xlz4uwc5d

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