Thomas Parker Sanborn
Encyclopedia
Thomas Parker Sanborn was an American poet. He was born to Franklin Benjamin Sanborn
and Louisa Sanborn, née Leavitt, on February 24, 1865 in Concord, Massachusetts
. He spent most of his early years in Concord, although he also attended school in Springfield, Massachusetts
, and during the winter of 1880-1881, was briefly a student at Phillips Exeter Academy
in Exeter
. Sanborn later attended Harvard University
, where he was one of the founders of the Harvard Monthly, as well as serving as an editor of the Harvard Advocate and as president of the Harvard Lampoon
. Sanborn was selected to write the class ode in his senior year. Sanborn was a close friend of philosopher and fellow poet George Santayana
, with whom he graduated with in the class of 1886.
After graduating, Sanborn resided in Springfield, where worked on the staff of the Springfield Republican
, becoming the paper's "literary and dramatic sub-editor." His already precarious health declined in the spring of 1888, with Sanborn ultimately choosing to return to Concord in the fall, where he continued to contribute to the Republican each week. Although his physical health improved, his depression increased. Suffering from hallucinations, Sanborn committed suicide on March 2, 1889, reportedly having slit his throat in the bath with a razor.
Remembered by his contemporaries as a tragic figure who held much literary promise, he came to be linked with a group of other 1890s Harvard poets who died young, including Hugh McCulloch
, Philip Henry Savage
, Trumbull Stickney
and George Cabot Lodge
. Santayana published two obituaries for Sanborn, the first of which appeared in Harvard Monthly in March 1889. In his 1943 memoirs, Santayana remembered Sanborn as "a poet of lyric and modest flights...His poems showed genuine feeling, not naturally in harmony with the over-intellectualized transcendentalism
of Concord, Massachusetts, where his father was a conspicuous member of the Emerson
ian circle."
Franklin Benjamin Sanborn
Franklin Benjamin Sanborn was an American journalist, author, and reformer. Sanborn was a social scientist, and a memorialist of American transcendentalism who wrote early biographies of many of the movement's key figures...
and Louisa Sanborn, née Leavitt, on February 24, 1865 in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
. He spent most of his early years in Concord, although he also attended school in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and during the winter of 1880-1881, was briefly a student at Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. Sanborn later attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he was one of the founders of the Harvard Monthly, as well as serving as an editor of the Harvard Advocate and as president of the Harvard Lampoon
Harvard Lampoon
The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.-Overview:Published since 1876, The Harvard Lampoon is the world's longest continually published humor magazine. It is also the second longest-running English-language humor...
. Sanborn was selected to write the class ode in his senior year. Sanborn was a close friend of philosopher and fellow poet George Santayana
George Santayana
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters...
, with whom he graduated with in the class of 1886.
After graduating, Sanborn resided in Springfield, where worked on the staff of the Springfield Republican
Springfield Republican
The Republican is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a division of Advance Publications. It played important roles in the United States Republican Party's founding, Charles Dow's career, and the invention of the pronoun "Ms."-Beginning:Established...
, becoming the paper's "literary and dramatic sub-editor." His already precarious health declined in the spring of 1888, with Sanborn ultimately choosing to return to Concord in the fall, where he continued to contribute to the Republican each week. Although his physical health improved, his depression increased. Suffering from hallucinations, Sanborn committed suicide on March 2, 1889, reportedly having slit his throat in the bath with a razor.
Remembered by his contemporaries as a tragic figure who held much literary promise, he came to be linked with a group of other 1890s Harvard poets who died young, including Hugh McCulloch
Hugh McCulloch (poet)
Hugh McCulloch was an American poet. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 2, 1869, he attended Harvard University and served as an English assistant there from 1892 to 1894. He later went abroad to devote himself to his literary work...
, Philip Henry Savage
Philip Henry Savage
Philip Henry Savage was an American poet.-Biography:Born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts on February 11, 1868, he was the son of Minot Judson Savage, a well-known Unitarian minister, and Ella A. Dodge. The family moved several times during his early life: to Framingham, then to Chicago and...
, Trumbull Stickney
Trumbull Stickney
Joseph Trumbull Stickney was an American classical scholar and poet. His style has been characterised as fin de siècle and he is known for his sonnets in particular....
and George Cabot Lodge
George Cabot Lodge
George Cabot "Bay" Lodge , was an American poet of the late 19th and early-20th century.-Early life:Lodge was born in in Boston. His father was Henry Cabot Lodge, a politician. His mother was Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge...
. Santayana published two obituaries for Sanborn, the first of which appeared in Harvard Monthly in March 1889. In his 1943 memoirs, Santayana remembered Sanborn as "a poet of lyric and modest flights...His poems showed genuine feeling, not naturally in harmony with the over-intellectualized transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
of Concord, Massachusetts, where his father was a conspicuous member of the Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
ian circle."
See also
- Franklin Benjamin SanbornFranklin Benjamin SanbornFranklin Benjamin Sanborn was an American journalist, author, and reformer. Sanborn was a social scientist, and a memorialist of American transcendentalism who wrote early biographies of many of the movement's key figures...