From the end of the nineteenth century until his death in 1940 Edwin Markham did much to revitalize American poetry, especially in the eyes of the reading public. Although his critical reputation plunged after his early successes, he became a poetic spokesman for the United States, particularly the West. He served as poet laureate of Oregon, but he was also counted as a native son in California, the state with which he is most often associated. As a transitional figure in American poetry Markham attained fame with the masses despite his occasionally radical verses, which critics dismissed as socialistic. In fact, the poem that engendered Markham's meteoric rise to national acclaim, "The Man with the Hoe" (1899), sparked a national controversy because of its implied criticism of the social system. Nevertheless, the nation embraced him thereafter as "The Dean of American Poetry."

Charles Edward Anson Markham was born on 23 April...