William Whiteman Fosdick (January 28, 1825–1862) was a American poet, writer and song lyricist, primarily remembered today as the one who wrote the original lyrics to the song Aura Lea to a melody composed by George R. Poulton

George R. Poulton

George R. Poulton was a musician and composer. best known for composing the tune to "Aura Lea".He was born in Cricklade, Nr Cirencester, , England in 1828. He was baptised in St. Mary's Church and was raised in the town until the age of seven when his parents, Charles and Hannah Poulton, emigrated...

. Fosdick was as a native of Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 and graduated from Transylvania University

Transylvania University

Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...

 in Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

. He practiced law in Cincinnati and New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

from 1851 to 1858.

Besides Aura Lea, Fosdick’s works include:

• Ariel, and Other Poems (New York: Bunce & Brother, Publishers, 1855)
• Malmiztic the Toltec; and the Cavaliers of the Cross (Cincinnati: W. H. Moore & D. Anderson, 1851)
• The Cavaliers of the Cross: A Historical Romance (Cincinnati: H.M. Rulison, 2nd ed., 1855)

Sources

• Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887–1889),(James Grant Wilson & John Fiske eds.)(6 vols.)
• W. H. Venable, Beginnings of Literary Culture in the Ohio Valley: Historical and Biographical Sketches 114 (Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Co., 1891)