Joseph Seamon Cotter Jr. (September 2, 1895 – February 3, 1919) was an American playwright, writer, and poet from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

most remembered for his posthumously published one-act play ''On The Fields of France'' in addition to numerous volumes of poetry.

Early life

Cotter was born and lived the formative years of his life in Louisville, Kentucky, where he attended Central High School until his graduation in 1911. His father, Joseph Seamon Cotter Sr., a noted African-American playwright in his own regard, was the principal when Cotter graduated.

Education

Cotter subsequently attended

Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...

Nashville, TN Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, before contracting

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, a disease that claimed the life of his sister, Florence Olivia, in 1914.Aberjhani, Sandra L. West. ''Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance'', Infobase Publishing, 2003, p. 71.

Career

After falling ill, Cotter returned to Louisville and began work as a journalist for the ''Leader''. Cotter avoided mimicking the style of his father and instead "experimented with free and, in ''Rain Music'', rhythmic styles." His father was instrumental in promoting his son's work after his death in 1919 from tuberculosis. He was said by many to have had the potential to be the greatest poet of his generation. Thurman, Wallace, "Negro Poets and Their Poetry," ''The Bookman'', July 1928.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotter, Joseph Seamon Jr. Writers from Louisville, Kentucky American writers Harlem Renaissance 1895 births 1919 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century African-American writers African-American male writers American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent