A lawyer, he served as American ambassador to Britain and later to Spain. He spoke Spanish. He was a prolific essayist who wrote widely respected biographies of George Washington and Muhammad as well as other historical figures. He also wrote books on 15th CenturySpain dealing with subjects such as Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra.
Irving traveled on the Western frontier in the 1830s and was one of the few 19th Century figures to speak out against the mishandling of relations with the Native American tribes by Europeans.
Rip Van Winkle is a man who sleeps for a hundred years and wakes in a world he cannot recognize. The story was written overnight, while staying with his sister, her husband, Henry van Wart, and their two sons and two daughters, one of whom was his god- child, in Birmingham, England - a place which also inspired some of his other works. Bracebridge Hall, or, The Humorists, A Medley is based on Aston Hall, there.
One of the van Wart's children would later name his first- born Washington Irving Van Wart (b. 1836), whose niece in turn was called Rosalinda Irving Van Wart (b. 1874).
It is believed that the city of Irving, Texas was named after him, as are Washington Street and Irving Street in Birmingham. His book Bracebridge Hall was the inspiration for the naming of the town of Bracebridge, Ontario.
The name "Rip van Winkle" has gone into the language to describe people who awake and cannot recognize their surroundings.
