Robert Montgomery Bird
Biographical Sketch

Robert Montgomery Bird was born in New Castle, Delaware in 1806, the sixth of the seven children of John and Elizabeth (Van Leuvenigh) Bird. Following the family's financial ruin and his father's subsequent death, Robert M. Bird was sent to Philadelphia to live with his uncle and guardian, Nicholas Van Dyke. Having completed his secondary school education in Germantown Academy, Bird studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It was during this period that he composed poetry and completed the early works 'Twas all for the Best, and News of the Night. Upon his graduation from Penn in 1827, he briefly set up a medical practice before leaving the field of medicine to pursue his career as an author.

In 1837 Robert Montgomery Bird married Mary E. Mayer (1809-1868), daughter of Philip F. Mayer, a Lutheran clergyman of Philadelphia. Their son, Frederic Mayer Bird (1838-1908), was born in the following year. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Union Theological seminary. He was chaplain and professor at Lehigh University, as well as editor of Lippincott's Magazine.

Significant to Bird's literary career was his encounter with the enterprising tragedian, Edwin Forrest (1806-1872). In 1828 Forrest announced his plan to cultivate an American dramatic culture by offering monetary prizes for the plays of promising American playwrights, on the condition that Forrest would stage the winning plays himself. Bird wrote four of the nine plays awarded prizes by Forrest and his judging committee: Pelopidas (1830), The Gladiator (1831), Oraloosa (1832), and The Broker of Bogota (1834). The Gladiator, first staged by Forrest in 1831, enjoyed resounding success in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. The following production of Oraloosa disappointed many audiences, and could not duplicate Bird's initial success. After the debut of Bird's 1934 play, The Broker of Bogota, Edwin Forrest wrote: "I have just left the theater . . . your tragedy was performed and crowned with entire success. The Broker of Bogota will live when our vile trunks are rotten." With these plays and the growing popularity of their starring actor, Edwin Forrest, Bird's name gained renown as a young and promising American playwright. In 1836 Bird was elected an Honorary Member of the Dramatic Author's Society of London.

Bird's dramatic career was not all fame and fortune, however. Whether as a result of misunderstanding, or financial exploitation, after the initial prize money, Bird never received any of the great profit reaped by Forrest from The Gladiator and other of Bird's works. In 1837 when the financial dispute between the two men reached a climax, Bird broke his ties with Forrest, still believing that the actor owed him more than $12,000. Due to the lack of copyright regulation in American theater, Bird could not legally prevent Forrest from performing the plays throughout his career. These works were not published until the early twentieth century, when they were edited by University of Pennsylvania professor Aurthur H. Quinn.

Disillusioned by the world of theater, and needing to earn more for his literary endeavors, Bird turned his efforts to the novel. Among Bird's best known novels are: Calavar (1834), and The Infidel (1835), both historical novels set in Mexico; Nick of the Woods (1837); and Adventures of Robin Day (1839). In this genre his works follow the tradition of the historical romances of English novelist Walter Scott. Contemporary author and literary critic Edgar Allen Poe called Calavar, "beyond doubt one of the best American novels." Even while he recognized moments of genius in Bird's novels, however, Poe did not refrain from criticizing, stating that the works lacked consistently strong structure and style.

Poor health brought Bird's career as a novelist to a close, and in 1840 Bird retired to the country for much needed recuperation. Having purchased a farm in Maryland, which he named Cabin Cove, Bird spent the next year collecting agricultural lore and working on his farm. Throughout this time and up until the end of his life, Bird tried out a variety of careers, always turned away by financial problems and ill health. In 1837, Charles Fenno Hoffman offered Bird a position as the Philadelphia editor of the American Monthly. Health problems forced Bird to resign the position after only a few months. From 1841 to 1844 Bird was a professor of medicine at Pennsylvania Medical College.

An active member of the Whig party, Bird always had an interest in politics, and in 1842 he ran for Congress, but withdrew late in the race. Throughout his later life he corresponded with prominent politicians on issues of government. Delaware Senator John M. Clayton was a close friend of Bird's and gave him the financial support he needed to undertake various literary and journalistic projects. Bird wrote a memoir of Clayton's life, and consistently supported his political campaigns. Clayton was the U.S. Secretary of State under Taylor.

In 1847, with the financial backing of John M. Clayton, Bird purchased a one-third share of The North American and U.S. Gazette, and became a joint editor with George Rex Graham and Morton McMichael, a Whig politician who would later be mayor of Philadelphia. The publication suffered financial problems, and Bird once again was plagued with bad health. He died in 1854 of "effusion of the brain," owing John M. Clayton 20,000 dollars.