Markham, Edwin

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.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.