Sam Walter Foss
Encyclopedia
Sam Walter Foss was an American
librarian and poet
whose works included The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American.
, New Hampshire
. Foss lost his mother at age four, worked on his father's farm and went to school in the winter. He graduated from Brown University
in 1882, and would be considered illustrious enough to warrant having his name inscribed on the mace
. Beginning in 1898, he served as librarian at the Somerville
Public Library in Massachusetts
. He married a minister's daughter, with whom he had a daughter and son. Foss used to write a poem a day for the newspapers, and his five volumes of collected poetry are of the frank and homely “common man” variety.
Longtime baseball announcer Ernie Harwell
alluded to one of Foss's poems whenever he described a batter taking a called third strike: "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by."
"Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains."
-- Sam Walter Foss, from "The Coming American", July 4, 1894
These words were inscribed on a granite wall at the United States Air Force Academy
to inspire cadets and officers, but they were removed in 2003.
He is buried in the North Burial Ground
in Providence, Rhode Island
.
Singer Lamya
's song "Empires (Bring Me Men)
" takes most of its lyrics from The Coming American.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
librarian and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
whose works included The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American.
Biography
He was born in rural CandiaCandia, New Hampshire
Candia is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Candia, Candia Four Corners and East Candia.-History:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Foss lost his mother at age four, worked on his father's farm and went to school in the winter. He graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1882, and would be considered illustrious enough to warrant having his name inscribed on the mace
Ceremonial mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon...
. Beginning in 1898, he served as librarian at the Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
Public Library in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He married a minister's daughter, with whom he had a daughter and son. Foss used to write a poem a day for the newspapers, and his five volumes of collected poetry are of the frank and homely “common man” variety.
Longtime baseball announcer Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
alluded to one of Foss's poems whenever he described a batter taking a called third strike: "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by."
"Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains."
-- Sam Walter Foss, from "The Coming American", July 4, 1894
These words were inscribed on a granite wall at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
to inspire cadets and officers, but they were removed in 2003.
He is buried in the North Burial Ground
North Burial Ground
The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. Providence had no public burial ground and no Common until the year 1700 because Rhode Island's religious and government institutions were so rigorously kept distinct, dating back to its founding by Roger...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
Singer Lamya
Lamya
Lamya Al-Mugheiry , better known as her mononym Layma was a Kenyan-born British female R&B and dance music singer, She was born in Kenya and was of Omani descent and raised in Sheffield, United Kingdom...
's song "Empires (Bring Me Men)
Empires (Bring Me Men)
"Empires " is a song by the late Omani artist Lamya. It was released in 2002. It was the first single taken from her first album Learning From Falling....
" takes most of its lyrics from The Coming American.
His works
- Back Country Poems (18921892 in literatureThe year 1892 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Shadows Uplifted by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper becomes the second novel by an African-American woman published in the United States-New books:...
) - Whiffs from Wild Meadows (18951895 in literatureThe year 1895 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* Carlyle's House in Chelsea opens to the public.* Robert Frost marries Elinor Miriam White.* Ernest Thayer recites his poem, Casey at the Bat, at a Harvard class reunion....
) - Dreams in Homespun (18971897 in literatureThe year 1897 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* January 2 - Newspapers in London, England erroneously report the death of Mark Twain. It is believed that the rumors began when Twain's cousin had become ill...
) - Songs of War and Peace (18991899 in literatureThe year 1899 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Edgar Rice Burroughs begins working in his father's business.*Rainer Maria Rilke travels to Moscow to meet Leo Tolstoy....
) - The Song of the Library Staff (19061906 in literatureThe year 1906 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* December 24 - Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio program, a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech, broadcasts....
) - Songs of the Average Man (19071907 in literatureThe year 1907 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* June 26 - Mark Twain receives an honorary doctorate of laws degree from Oxford University.*James Joyce meets Ettore Schmitz for the first time....
)