Edwin Markham
Edwin Markham was an American poet. From 1923 to 1931 he was Poet Laureate of Oregon.
Edwin Markham was born in Oregon City, Oregon, and was the youngest ofchildren his parents divorced shortly after his birth. At the age of four, he moved to Lagoon Valley, an area northeast of San Francisco there, he lived with his sister and mother. He worked on the familys farm beginning at twelve. Although his mother was opposed to his pursuing higher education, he studied literature at the California College in Vacaville, California, and received his teachers certificate in 1870. In 1872 he graduated from San Jose State Normal School and in 1873 finished his studies of classics at Christian College in Santa Rosa. He went by Charles until about 1895, when he was about 43, when he started using Edwin.
Source: Wikipedia