Steele, Sir Richard 1672-1729
Irish essayist, dramatist and politician

Born> in Dublin, he was educated at Charterhouse, where Joseph Addison was a contemporary, and Merton College, Oxford, after which he entered the army as a cadet in the Life Guards. His first venture in periodical literature, The Tatler, ran from 1709 to 1711, and concentrated on social and moral essays, with occasional articles on literature. With Addison he also founded The Spectator (1711-12) and The Guardian (1743). He briefly entered parliament (1713), but was expelled for supporting the Hanoverian cause. On the succession of George I he was awarded with the appointment of supervisor of Drury Lane Theatre, and a knighthood followed. Financial troubles caused him to retire to Wales (1722). His letters to his wife ('dearest Prue') attest the sincerity of his sermons on married love.

Bibliography: R P Bond, The Tatler (1972)