Edgar A. Guest Poem on Abraham Lincoln, 1949 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The Edgar A. Guest Lincoln Poem collection contains a poem typed on two small sheets of paper. A sketch of Abraham Lincoln is at the top of the first page. The first line of the untitled poem reads, “Bill and Jim drove into town.” Throughout the poem, characters Bill and Jim cross paths with Abraham Lincoln several times, though each time acknowledge Lincoln as rather mediocre figure. The final lines of the poem read, “Those who lived in Lincoln’s time/Never really knew the man.”

Biographical/Historical Context:

Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959) was an American poet. Born in England, Guest’s family moved to Michigan when he was ten. He was named the Poet Laureate of Michigan in 1952, a position which he held until his death in 1959. His poetry is known for its sentimentalism and optimism, and has been published in several newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. John Boos (1879-1974) was an avid collector who was particularly interested in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, amassing a large collection of Lincoln and Civil War-related materials throughout his life. Many of the materials collected by Boos have been preserved by the University of Michigan William L. Clements Library in their John E. Boos collection, 1860-1988, 2005.

Acquisition Source: The Library purchased this poem from Chuck Hand in 1992 with the support of the Dr. Harlan Horner estate. It was previously cataloged at the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (MS 973.7 L63H2G938p) but was removed and housed with materials from MS 1015 – Earl Kubicek Collection of Lincoln-related Materials. In 2023, the poem was removed from this collection to be housed in its own small collection, MS 1058 – Guest, Edgar A. Poem on Abraham Lincoln, 1949.