Description
The Edwin Markham Family Papers II (1925-1941) includes handwritten correspondence, typed poems, a photograph, and a memorial
service program for Markham dated April 20, 1941.
Background
Charles Edward Anson Markham (1852-1940), later known as Edwin, was the youngest of nine children, born on April 23, 1852,
in Oregon City, Oregon. His parents, Elizabeth Winchell and Samuel Markham, were married in Michigan and traveled by wagon
train to settle in the Oregon Territory. His parents divorced shortly after his birth and his mother and her younger children
moved to Suisun Hills, northeast of San Francisco.
Markham received his teacher's certificate in 1870 from the California College in Vacaville, graduated from California State
Normal School, San Jose, in 1872, and then studied classics at Christian College in Santa Rosa. After graduation, Markham
taught in many communities across Central and Northern California. His first teaching position was in El Dorado County and
in 1879 he was elected county superintendent of schools. In 1884, he was a school headmaster in Hayward, and in 1890, he was
hired as the principal of the Tompkins Observation School in Oakland.
After two brief failed marriages, Markham married Anna Catherine Murphy (1859-1938) in 1898 and in 1899 their son Virgil was
born. The Markhams moved to New York and in 1901 settled on Staten Island where they would reside for the remainder of their
lives.
Markham began writing poetry in the 1870s and first sold one of his poems in 1880. He later contributed to Harper's Century,
Scribner's Magazine, and the Overland Monthly. He also developed friendships with literary celebrities such as Joaquin Miller,
Ina Donna Coolbrith, William Dean Howells, and Ambrose Bierce.
Markham rose to fame as a poet with the publication of "The Man with the Hoe," which was inspired by a Francois Millet woodcut
of the same name. On New Year's Eve of 1898, Markham read the poem at a party, which led to its publication in the San Francisco
Examiner. Because Markham's populist views were in line with the social reform movements of the day, his poem became an overnight
sensation.
His second-most famous poem, "Lincoln, the Man of the People" was commissioned for the centennial of Lincoln's birth and was
published in 1901 in Lincoln and Other Poems. In 1922 Markham read the poem at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. Although
Markham's later works failed to receive the critical acclaim of "The Man with the Hoe" and "Lincoln, the Man of the People,"
he was a popular figure who lectured and made public appearances at a range of events, including labor and radical gatherings
as well as literary ones.
Restrictions
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to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of San Jose State University Special Collections
and Archives. Permission for publication is granted on behalf of Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files from or derived
from these collections is restricted to research and educational purposes.