American poet and educator Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was a leading force in the early development of Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a noted literary scholar. She captured her place in American history, however, when she penned the patriotic poem "America the Beautiful," which was first published in 1895. A musical setting of Bates's vision of the natural beauty and noble ideals of America later became a popular song that was unsuccessfully nominated to become the country's national anthem.

Katharine Lee Bates was an educator and writer who is best known for her poem, "America the Beautiful." After its publication in the Boston Evening Transcript in 1904, the poem gained nationwide popularity for its celebration of the spirit and natural beauty of the country. The musical setting of "America the Beautiful," created in the 1920s, was an unsuccessful contender to become the national anthem, but has remained one of the...