author
James Rees
1802–1885
A 19th-century American man of letters, he moved between journalism, theater, and popular nonfiction with unusual ease. He is also remembered for a small but lasting holiday footnote: an early printed mention of Mrs. Santa Claus.
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About the author
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1802, this American writer built a varied career in Philadelphia as a salesman, a clerk in the United States Post Office, and a working editor. He was associated with several publications, including the Mechanics' Free Press, The Dramatic Mirror, and The Philanthropist, and he also wrote under the pseudonym Colley Cibber.
His books and plays show wide interests, from drama and literary criticism to city life, biography, and postal history. Among the works linked to him are The Dwarf, a Dramatic Poem, Mysteries of City Life, The Tinker Spy, Foot-Prints from a Letter Carrier, The Life of Edwin Forrest, and Shakespeare and the Bible.
One detail often noted today is that his 1849 story A Christmas Legend includes what is described as the first mention of Mrs. Santa Claus in print. He died in Philadelphia on April 29, 1885.