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FIELD, EUGENE.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, September 3, 1850; died in Chicago,
Illinois, November 4, 1895. Field received his early education
at Amherst and later at Williams and Knox Colleges and the University
of Missouri. He started his public life as a journalist, working
upon papers in St. Louis, St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Denver
until he became associated with the "Chicago Daily News,"
where he remained until his death. Before going to Chicago he
had done chiefly light and humorous work, but after forming a
permanent connection with the "Daily News" he turned
his attention to poetry and prose of a higher quality. In 1889
he published "A Little Book of Western Verse," which
not only established him firmly as a poet, but contained many
songs of child life which are among the choicest in English literature.
His fame will continue to rest largely upon this book, although
it was supplemented by several others almost equally fine.
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This biographical note is reprinted
from The Little Book of American Poets: 1787-1900. Ed.
Jessie B. Rittenhouse. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1915. |
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