Sir Walter Scott biography :

Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 14 August 1771 to Solicitor Walter Scott and his wife, Anne. He had eleven siblings, however, six died in infancy. Scott himself was a relatively sickly child. He contracted polio, which rendered his right leg almost useless. Despite this, Scott grew to be over six feet tall and had exceptional physical endurance.

Scott did not start out as a poet, in fact, he actually followed his father’s footsteps and started out as a solicitor. He married Charlotte Margaret Carpenter in 1797. Two years later, he was made Sheriff of Selkirkshire in 1799, and held that position until 1832, and it was during this time that Scott began writing.

His first major work, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border was published between 1802 and 1803 but his success as a poet was brought about by the publication of The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which was published in 1805. Since then, he composed and published several books on poetry. The Lord of the Isles, Scott’s last major poem, was released in 1815.

Aside from poetry, Scott also published several novels, most notable of which include Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819). Though Sir Walter Scott suffered a stroke in the year 1830, he passed away two years later on 21 September 1832. His remains are buried in Dryburgh Abbey.

The words of Hail to the Chief, a march usually played to honor the President of the United States, are verses from Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake”. James Sanderson (1769 – 1841) is credited for having composed the accompanying melody.