Clinton Scollard

Born in Clinton, New York, on September 18, 1860, Clinton Scollard studied at Hamilton College, graduating in 1881, and later attended both Harvard and Cambridge. He went on to teach English at Hamilton College, serving as an associate professor beginning in 1888 before eventually turning his attention more fully to creative writing.

Scollard wrote both poetry and fiction, but he is best remembered for his verse. His poems were admired for their careful form, musical language, and attention to nature and small, vivid moments. Among his many books are Pictures in Song, The Hills of Song, The Lyric Bough, and Chords of the Zither.

Later in life he married the poet Jessie Belle Rittenhouse. Scollard died in Kent, Connecticut, on November 19, 1932. Though often described as a minor poet, he has continued to attract readers who enjoy finely made, lyrical poetry.