Markham, Edwin

Markham, Edwin, 1852–1940, American poet, b. Oregon City, Oreg. He grew up in California and later taught school there. In 1899 he achieved widespread popularity for the poem "The Man with the Hoe." Inspired by Millet's famous painting, the poem was a protest against the degradation and exploitation of labor. His other famous poem, "Lincoln, the Man of the People," appeared in Lincoln and Other Poems (1901).

Bibliography

See biography by L. Filler (1966).

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Markham, (Charles Edward Anson) Edwin (1852–1940) poet, editor; born in Oregon City, Ore. He studied briefly at Christian College, Santa Rosa, Calif., then taught in California (1875–1901). After the sudden success of "The Man with the Hoe" (1899), a poem inspired by Jean-Francois Millet's painting, and "Lincoln, the Man of the People" (1901), he moved to Staten Island, New York, and spent the rest of his life writing and lecturing but never again attaining the recognition he gained from these two poems.