The Life and Work of Washington Irving Washington Irving was a American writer, the first American author to achieve international fame, who created the fictional characters Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane. The strict acceptance and standing popularity of Irving's tales involving these characters proved the effectiveness of the short story in American literary form. Irving was born in New York City, Irving studied law at private schools. After serving in several law offices and traveling in Europe for his health from 1804 to 1806, he eventually was amitted to the bar in 1806. His interest in the law was not