born May 7, 1892, Glencoe, Ill., U.S.
died April 20, 1982, Boston, Mass.
U.S. poet, playwright, teacher, and public official.
He practiced law before leaving for France in 1923 to perfect his poetic craft. His early poems "Ars Poetica" (1926) and "You, Andrew Marvell" (1930) are often anthologized. He later expressed his concern for democratic ideals in "public" verse such as Conquistador (1932, Pulitzer Prize) and Public Speech (1936). Other works include Collected Poems (1952, Pulitzer Prize) and the verse drama J.B. (1958, Pulitzer Prize). He served as librarian of Congress (1939–44) and assistant secretary of state (1944–45) and later taught at Harvard (1949–62).