Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 - July 10, 1863) was an American real estate developer, scholar and amateur poet, best known as author of the Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Moore was Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature, as well as Divinity and Biblical Learning, at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in New York. He made is fortune by subdividing his real estate in New York's Chelsea district. He also served for 44 years on the Board of Trustees of Columbia University and was a board member of both the New York Society Library and the New York Institution for the Blind. "A Visit from St. Nicholas," - better known for its famous opening line,"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" - was first published anonymously in 1823. Moore publicly claimed authorship in 1844, and despite claims to the contrary, is generally accepted as the true author of the poem.