George W. Cutter (died 1865) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. According to biographical material provided by a cousin, he was christened George Wales Cutter. The date and place of his birth is disputed, claimed by or traced to either

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, (then

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)

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. He settled in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

, in 1826, where he studied and practiced law and ultimately was elected to the Indiana legislature. After marrying actress Frances Denny Drake, widow of actor, Alexander Drake, who was known in national theater circles as "Mrs. Drake, Star of the West", in 1839, the Cutters resided in Terre Haute before relocating to the Drake residence in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

. He fought in the Mexican War, serving under G. Zachary Taylor, and later entered the political field, where he soon became known as a brilliant speaker. His most celebrated poems are "The Song of Steam" "The Song of the Lightning", "E Pluribus Unum" and "Buena Vista". Cutter's marriage to Frances Denny Drake ended in divorce and, though he remarried, much of the remainder of his life was troubled by bouts with intemperance. He died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1865. His works were published under the respective titles: *''Buena Vista and Other Poems'' (1848) *''Song of Steam and Other Poems'' (1857) *''Poems, National and Patriotic'' (1857) *

References

;Sources *''George W. Cutter: America's Poet Warrior'', The Journal of Kentucky Studies 18 (2001), pp. 74–85. Indiana lawyers People from Covington, Kentucky Writers from Terre Haute, Indiana Poets from Washington, D.C. American military personnel of the Mexican–American War 19th-century births 1865 deaths 19th-century American poets American male poets 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American lawyers {{US-poet-1800s-stub