Walt Whitman was an American poet born in 1819 in New York. He came from a working class family, with his father being a carpenter. As a young man, Whitman worked various jobs including teaching and journalism before dedicating himself to writing poetry. He is best known for his collection Leaves of Grass, which was first published in 1855 and featured his innovative style of free verse without rhyme. Whitman lived during the mid-1800s and died in 1892, leaving behind a profound influence on future generations of poets.