---
title: William Wirt
author: James Barton Longacre
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18311/william-wirt/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2024-01-12
---
# William Wirt
_Authored by James Barton Longacre_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/18311.jpg)
## Image Caption
William Wirt (1772-1834), an American author and politician who served as US attorney general from 1817 until 1829. Wirt was also a historian, most famous for his biography of [Patrick Henry](https://www.worldhistory.org/Patrick_Henry/), which contained a reconstruction of Henry's "[Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2350/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death/)" speech; some modern historians believe that parts, or even all, of the speech was fabricated by Wirt himself.
Engraving by James Barton Longacre, between 1810-1834.
Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Longacre, J. B. (2024, January 12). William Wirt. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Longacre, James Barton. "William Wirt." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 12, 2024. .
### MLA
Longacre, James Barton. "William Wirt." *World History Encyclopedia*, 12 Jan 2024, .
## License & Copyright
[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Attorney_General_William_Wirt.jpg) by [**James Barton Longacre**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Attorney_General_William_Wirt.jpg). Submitted by [Harrison W. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/harrisonwmark/ "User Page: Harrison W. Mark"), published on 12 January 2024. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Public Domain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain). This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.