Frederic S. (Frederic Swartwout) Cozzens

Born in New York City in 1818, Frederic Swartwout Cozzens became known as an American humorist whose writing mixed sharp observation with an easy, conversational charm. He sometimes wrote under the name Richard Haywarde, and his early humorous poems and sketches appeared in magazines before being gathered into books.

Cozzens is especially remembered for works such as The Sparrowgrass Papers, which follows the comic trials of city people trying country living. His writing often found humor in social habits, travel, domestic life, and the small absurdities of everyday experience, making his work approachable and vivid for later readers.

Alongside his literary work, he was also involved in business and publishing, including the wine trade. He died in Brooklyn in 1869, but his essays and sketches remain a lively window into mid-19th-century American life and the tradition of literary humor.