author
David Morton
1886–1957
An American poet whose work brought lyric grace to magazines, classrooms, and radio audiences, he moved easily between literary life and everyday speech. His poems often feel polished but approachable, shaped by years as both a journalist and a teacher.
1 Audiobook
Ships in Harbour
by David Morton
About the author
Born in Elkton, Kentucky, in 1886, David H. Morton grew up to become an American poet, journalist, and teacher. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1909, and after working in newspaper jobs that included the Louisville Courier-Journal, he later taught in Morristown, New Jersey.
In 1924 he joined Amherst College, where he taught English and became a well-known campus literary figure. His poetry appeared in magazines such as Harper's and The Saturday Evening Post, and his 1921 collection Ships in the Harbor received the Poetry Society of America's Golden Rose Award.
Morton died in 1957. Remembered for clear, musical verse and for the warmth he brought to teaching, he represents a strand of early 20th-century American poetry that prized craft, feeling, and readability.