In 1841, he moved to New York City, where he practiced law, and at the same time engaged in literary pursuits.
Published in the Union Magazine, it attracted favorable criticism and was followed by "Alban" (1848), a poetical romance, and "Meditations in America" (1851).
[3] William Cullen Bryant said of his writings: "They are marked by a splendor of imagination and an affluence of diction which show him the born poet.
"[2] Edgar Allan Poe, a friend of Wallace, referred to him as "one of the very noblest of American poets".
[4] Wallace died at his home in New York City on May 5, 1881, a week after suffering a stroke.