A Voyage to the Moon

George Tucker (1775-1861), was born in Bermuda, and educated at College of William & Mary, where he studied law under St. George Tucker. After practicing law in Richmond, Virginia he moved to Lynchburg, Virginia. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1819 to 1825, representing Virginia in the 16th, 17th, and 18th United States Congresses. Tucker was appointed by Thomas Jefferson to be Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Virginia. In 1845 he resigned from the University and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He wrote The Life of Thomas Jefferson (2 volumes) (1837), History of the United States (4 volumes) (1856), The Valley of the Shenandoah (1824) and various works on economics. In 1827 he wrote the novel A Voyage to the Moon using the pseudonym "Joseph Atterley". Though a satire, it is considered by some to be the first American work of science fiction.