Richard Steele

Richard Steele was an Anglo-Irish essayist, playwright, journalist, and politician whose periodical writing helped shape eighteenth-century public culture. He founded The Tatler in 1709 and, with Joseph Addison, co-founded The Spectator in 1711, using lively essays on manners, politics, and London life. He also served in Parliament and wrote the successful comedy The Conscious Lovers (1722).