Robert Burns Wilson (October 30, 1850 – March 31, 1916) was an American painter and poet.
Biography
Wilson was born in
Parker, Pennsylvania
Parker is a city located in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the extreme northwestern portion of the county. The population was 695 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was named for Judge John Parker, a ...
in 1850. In his teens, he moved to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
and, with little formal training, he became a self-taught painter and poet. Wilson eventually traveled to and settled in
Frankfort,
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, where he achieved his greatest fame.
In 1901, Wilson married Anne Hendrick, daughter of General
William J. Hendrick, a former
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
of Kentucky, during a visit to New York.
Wilson moved from Kentucky to New York in 1904, and died there in 1916. His body was returned to Frankfort for interment, which he considered his home.
[ He is buried in ]Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone, the famed frontiersman, and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen ...
near the grave of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...
.
Career
As a painter, Wilson is best known for his landscapes of the Kentucky countryside.[
Wilson found success as a poet, publishing poems in the major monthly magazines of his day, including '']Harper's Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
''. Perhaps his most famous poem is "Remember the Maine", based on the battle cry that spurred the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
into the Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
.[
After achieving success as a poet, Wilson tried his hand at prose fiction, publishing ''Until the Day Break'' in 1900.]
Bibliography
In addition to his many poems that were published individually in various periodicals and anthologies around the country, Wilson published two anthologies of his own, as well as an epic poem, and the aforementioned novel.
* (anthology)
* (single poem of 53 pages)
* (novel)
* (anthology)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Robert Burns
1850 births
1916 deaths
19th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
American male poets
Painters from Kentucky
20th-century American male artists