Clement Clarke Moore And The Night Before Christmas Poem
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A Brief History of the Poem
Clement Clarke Moore wrote The Night Before Christmas poem in 1822 for his family. It was then titled A Visit from St. Nicholas. The poem was inspired by a snowy Christmas Eve when his wife prepared turkeys for the local church for the poor. She was short one turkey so Clement called for a sleigh and coachmen and went into New York City in the storm to Jefferson Market.
The spirit of Christmas inspired Clement Clarke to write the poem The Night Before Christmas. The poem had with a sleigh of reindeer and jolly St. Nicholos pulling a load of toys for children on Christmas Eve. He shared the poem with his family and other friends. A family friend submitted it to the Troy newspaper, and it was published anonymously. He had wanted to keep it for family and friends.
Several years later Clement agreed to put his name on the poem and it was published in The New York Book of Poetry in 1837 and he later published the poem in a book of his own poems in 1844. This book was distributed primarily to family and friends.
Clement Clarke said that he used a neighbor and gentleman of Dutch descent to describe the Santa Claus in the poem. He presented several copies of the poem to family and friends and some organizations including the New York Historical Society. His intention in the beginning was to never have it published professionally.
Clement Clarke Moore's Education and Career
His father was a scholar and Episcopalian minster and rector of Trinity Church in NYC. His father later became the bishop of New York and president of Columbia College. Clement Clarke Moore graduated from Columbia and began to pursue biblical and classical and ancient languages. He wrote a two-volume lexicon on the Hebrew language in 1809. It was used as a standard text for many years.
In 1818 he donated land to build a school for Episcopal clergyman In New York. He served as a professor of Oriental and Greek from 1821-1850. During this time he wrote poems for his wife, children, and grandchildren. He attended Columbia College at an early age 16 and received a degree in classical literature in 1801.
Clement Clarke spoke several languages, worked as an architect, and was a talented musician who played the violin and organ. He taught for many years at the Protestant Episcopal Seminary. He published articles in newspapers and magazine and often opposed the political beliefs of Thomas Jefferson.
Controversy Over Who Wrote the Poem
In the 1950's the Livingston family claimed Henry Livingston wrote the poem. He was a farmer and veteran of the American Revolution. He published light verse in some newspapers. The family had no documentation of his writing the poem to back up their claim.
One reason why some people doubted that Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem was because of his educational background and study. They did not picture him writing a lighthearted poem like The Night Before Christmas. However, that does not mean he was not capable of doing so.
In 1999 a Livingston family member hired Don Foster, an English professor from Vassar and literary detective. He used computer technology to analyze syntax, words, and punctuation of different writers. He claimed this proved at times that someone else wrote a article, poem or story.
Despite the controversy most publishers and scholars believe Clement Clarke Moore to be the author of the poem. Perhaps Livingston wrote a similar poem at one time as authors often have similar ideas about poems, topics, and Christmas. But still Clement Clark Moore presents more evidence and credibility as being the author of the poem. He contributed like many authors to the creation of Christmas.
References:
Clement Clarke Moore, by Robert McNamara, Thought Company, November 24, 2019
Clement C. Moore, by Clement C. Moore, A Visit by Saint Nicolas, Clement Moore website, 2025
The Story Behind The Most Famous Christmas Poem of All by Paul Hond, Columbia Magazine, November 19, 2021
Twas The Night Before Christmas, The Clements Library, William Clements Library, University of Michigan, December 24, 2010
The Authorship of the Night Before Christmas, Who Was the Author of the Night Before Christmas, by Seth Kaller, Seth Kaller, Inc. Historic Document and Legacy Collection