McHenry, James (1785–1845), poet, novelist, and doctor, was born 20 December 1785 in Larne, Co. Antrim, son of George McHenry, cloth merchant, and his wife Mary, daughter of Sam Smiley, all from Larne. As a child, he was privately educated by the Rev. J. Nicholson, who taught him Greek and Latin. McHenry initially wanted to become a presbyterian minister, but because he was hunchbacked (owing to a childhood injury) he felt ill at ease at the pulpit, so instead trained as a medical doctor in Glasgow. To help to defray his college expenses, he published several volumes of prose and poetry, including The bard of Erin (1808) and Patrick (1810). After he received his qualifications from the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (April 1811), he practised in Larne for a time, but soon moved to Belfast, where he worked as an apothecary before setting up his own practice. McHenry had always been more interested in poetry and literature than in his chosen professions, neither of which was very lucrative, so in 1817, for financial rather than political reasons, he moved his young wife and new baby to the USA.
After relocating from Baltimore to Pennsylvania, the McHenrys finally settled in Philadelphia (1823). During this time McHenry's wife was ill and he himself was unwell and homesick, so in order to quell his sadness he wrote The pleasures of friendship (1822), which was well received by critics. The year 1823 proved to be one of his most prolific: he opened a medical office, published several poems and novels including Waltham, The wilderness, and The spectre of the forest, and established the American Monthly Magazine, but due to financial troubles the latter folded after a year. Although his novels O'Halloran (1824), the first American novel set in northern Ireland, and Hearts of Steel (1825), an Irish historical tale about the evils of absentee landlords, were both acclaimed, McHenry's work was obviously not enough to support his family, for in 1825 he and his wife opened a luxury fabric store that sold Irish linen, silk, and satin. He continued to write, publishing in various American literary magazines, and even unsuccessfully tried his hand at theatre with ‘The usurper’ (1827) and ‘Love and poetry; or, A modern genius’ (1828); only the former was ever performed and neither made much of an impression. McHenry had further success with his novels The betrothed of Wyoming (1830) and Meredith; or, The mystery of Meschianza (1831), but in the early 1830s he again met with derision when he attempted literary criticism. His final work was the ten-book epic Antediluvians; or The world destroyed (1839), a blank-verse chronicle of the biblical flood, but it too met with poor reviews.
Although best known for his prose, McHenry was very much involved in American politics and was a naturalised citizen (28 October 1828). He was highly regarded by the Irish-American community of Philadelphia, and was chosen to help draft a letter of condolence (December 1827) to the family of Thomas Addis Emmett (qv). As a supporter and personal friend of Andrew Jackson, McHenry composed a poem in his honour, The Jackson wreath (1829), but the president eventually fell out of his favour; by 1832 McHenry was a rabid anti-Jacksonite and campaigned against his reelection. Otherwise, he was a keen advocate of John Tyler (president 1841–5), and in recognition of his support, McHenry was appointed US consul at Derry (18 October 1842). This was an honour that McHenry neither wanted nor could afford: it paid so little that he could not even bring his family with him, but out of respect for the president he accepted the post, stipulating that if a more lucrative position in Belfast opened he wished to be transferred. From April 1843 he faithfully served as consul till he took ill in his hometown of Larne and died there in Stewart's Hotel on 21 July 1845. McHenry was a sensitive and introspective man, who was much admired for the vigour of his prose, novels, and plays; his works were published in both the USA and the UK and were translated into French and German. Hailed as a poetic genius, he made perhaps his most lasting contribution to literature with his short lyrical poetry. His portrait hangs in Larne town hall.
McHenry married (1816) his second cousin, Jane Robinson, of Cairncastle, Co. Antrim, who was then only 16 years old. They had five children including James McHenry (1817–91), a wealthy merchant who was the first to import American butter into England.