William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) Poet. Bryant wrote Thanatopsis, when he was 17. It is a meditation on nature and death that remains his best-known poem. In 1825 he moved to New York City, where for almost fifty years he was editor in chief of the Evening Post, which he transformed into an organ of progressive thought. Bryant was a lifelong political activist, initially as a proponent of the Free Soil Party, and later in life, as a founder of the Republican Party. He was a fervent supporter of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential bid in 1860. 4 ¾†x 2 ½†signature, he adds: “Roslyn, L. I. October 8th 1874.†Slight brushing of the date.