henry beekman livingston jr. (october 13, 1748 – february 29, 1828) has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem "a visit from st. nicholas", more popularly known (after its first line) as "the night before christmas". credit for the poem was taken in 1837 by clement clarke moore, a bible scholar in new york city, nine years after livingston's death. it was not until another twenty years that the livingston family knew of moore's claim, and it was not until 1900 that they went public with their own claim. since then, the question has been repeatedly raised and argued by experts on both sides.