Martin F. Tupper

"Karl Marx likens Tupper's style of poetry to the appeal of Utilitarianism. In Das Kapital, he writes, "Bentham is among the philosophers what Tupper is among poets."" -Wikipedia

Martin F. Tupper was an English poet and contemporary of Whitman's.  His work was received moderately well in Europe during his time, though it was not popular in the United States and has not withstood the test of time.

The primary connection between Tupper and Whitman appears to lie in the realm of social reform.  The above quote about Marx's view of Tupper reveals much, I think, about Tupper and allows for several entry points when relating Tupper to Whitman.

Utilitarianism is not something I immediately associate with Whitman, though the more I think of it, the more sense it makes.  Utilitarianism serves the many rather than the few; it contains a sense of unity, as it sees benefits in looking at a group of people as a whole rather than the more individualistic American paradigm of meritocracy.

As for Marx's allusion to Bentham, here again a social view of egalitarianism and unity is evoked.  Bentham's philosophical perspective laid the groundwork for Utilitarianism itself, and although he was more radical than Whitman (in that he was an abolishionist), they may have gotten along well.

"It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong" -Bentham