Hunt, (James Henry) Leigh 1784-1859
English poet and essayist

Born in Southgate, Middlesex, the son of an immigrant American preacher, he was educated at Christ's Hospital. His first collection of poetry was privately printed as Juvenilia in 1801. With his brother, a printer, he edited (1808-21) The Examiner, which became a focus of liberal opinion and attracted leading men of letters, including Byron, Thomas Moore, Shelley and Charles Lamb. He was imprisoned with his brother for two years (1813-15) for a libel on the Prince Regent (the future George IV). The Examiner introduced Shelley and Keats to the public - Keats' sonnet On First Looking into Chapman's Homer first appeared there in 1816, the year in which Hunt published his own romance, The Story of Rimini. Hunt also founded and edited The Indicator (1819-21), habitually introduced authors to each other, and his Autobiography (1850) provides a valuable picture of the times.

Bibliography: E Blunden, Leigh Hunt (1930)