Robert Waln

Born in Philadelphia on February 22, 1765, Robert Waln built his career first in trade, including East India and China commerce, and later in public service. He served in the Pennsylvania legislature, on Philadelphia’s city council, and in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Federalist.

Waln is also remembered in literary history through his family connection to The Hermit in America on a Visit to Philadelphia (1819), which was written by his son, Robert Waln Jr. That book offers a witty, vivid look at early nineteenth-century Philadelphia society and is often what brings modern readers to the Waln name.

He died on January 24, 1836. Today, he is chiefly of interest as a figure at the crossroads of commerce, politics, and Philadelphia cultural life in the early United States.