Richard Alsop was born January 23, 1761. His father (1727–1776) and son were also named Richard Alsop, which has led to confusion in historical sources. His mother was Abigail Sackett. He was a member of the literary group called the
Hartford Wits, and contributed verse to the
Political Greenhouse and the Echo. This Richard Alsop was not a merchant, as is sometimes stated. Although he translated a work on Chile (largely from an Italian edition), he never traveled to South America or anywhere else abroad. (The Richard Alsop who made a fortune trading in
Peru and
Chile in the 1820s was his son.) His sister Abigail Alsop married
Theodore Dwight (1764–1846). He married Mary Wyllis and died on August 20, 1815, in
Long Island, New York. ==References==