Irving, Washington: - Washington Irving was an American short story writer, essayist, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle, written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. He moved to England for the family business in 1815 where he is best known for his short stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.