Fessenden, Thomas Green

Fessenden, Thomas Green (fĕs`əndən), 1771–1837, American journalist and satirical poet, b. Walpole, N.H. Throughout his life he practiced law and edited various newspapers. Under the pseudonym Christopher Caustic he wrote satirical poems, of which "Democracy Unveiled" (1805), a scurrilous attack on Jefferson and other Democratic leaders, was the most famous. In 1822 he established in Boston the New England Farmer, which he edited until his death. He also wrote various agricultural handbooks including the widely used Complete Farmer and Rural Economist (1834). In 1836 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court.

Bibliography

See study by P. G. Perrin (1925).