Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often referred to as
Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to
English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and
lexicographer. Johnson was a devout
Anglican and committed
Tory, and has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of "the most famous single biographical work in the whole of literature,"
James Boswell's
Life of Samuel Johnson.