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How did William O’Connor defend Walt Whitman after his dismissal from government work?

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“Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a kosmos” — Walt Whitman American poet Walt Whitman, photograph by Mathew Brady.

After Walt Whitman was dismissed from his clerkship at the Department of the Interior in 1865—a decision prompted by the secretary’s belief that Leaves of Grass was indecent—his friend, the journalist William O’Connor, acted decisively to defend him.1

O’Connor wrote a passionate vindication of the poet titled The Good Gray Poet, which was published in 1866. This work effectively framed Whitman as a victim of injustice, successfully arousing public sympathy for him. Furthermore, O’Connor used his influence to help Whitman secure a new position in the attorney general’s office. O’Connor’s defense was a significant early effort in establishing Whitman’s reputation among critics and fellow writers.12