James Larkin Pearson
Encyclopedia
James Larkin Pearson was a poet and newspaper publisher. From 1953 - 1981 he served as North Carolina's Poet Laureate
, and was the second poet to hold the title.
of Wilkes County, North Carolina
. He was born in a log cabin on his parent's farm. According to Pearson in his book My Fingers and My Toes, his first attempt at poetry came when he was about four years old: "One cold winter day my father had me out with him and asked me, "Jimmy, are you cold?" Without taking any time to study out my answer, it came like a flash: "My fingers and my toes, my feet and my hands, are jist as cold, as you'd ever see a man's." From this point, Larkin wrote, he wanted to be a poet. He was a poor student in school and wrote that he "was set down as a hopeless case...quit school entirely at 16, having never been in school more than 12 months, from first to last." However, he continued to educate himself, even when he was plowing on the family farm: "I always carried my notebook and my pencil with me, and as I trudged between the plow-handles in the hot sunshine, my mind was busy working out a poem." Pearson worked on the family farm until he was 21.
. In 1910 Pearson began publishing his own newspaper, entitled The Fool-Killer. The paper was sold nationwide and at its height had over 50,000 subscribers. The paper's masthead showed an explosion blowing up the "drunken fool", "religious fool", "society fool", and the "political fool." Larkin wrote that "from the seclusion of these wooded hills will go forth a bundle of literary dynamite that will shake the rotten foundations of society...[The Fool-Killer] is salted with wit, peppered with humor, and seasoned with sarcasm." Larkin wrote the paper's editorials and included a good deal of his poetry in the paper. He used his paper to promote liberal economic policies and politicians who supported those policies, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and his New Deal
programs. A teetotaler, Pearson also supported the policy of prohibition
in The Fool-Killer. He stopped publishing the paper in 1935 following the death of his first wife, Cora Wallace, in 1934. In 1924 he printed a book of his poetry which he called Pearson's Poems and stated in the preface, "It was a rather big undertaking for me with my limited facilities and the work is not as perfect as a professional book-maker could have done. But it is fairly presentable anyhow, and I am rather pleased with it. Possibly the fact that I printed it with my own hands will be of some interest to the reader." In addition to My Fingers and My Toes, some of Pearson's many books of poetry are Fifty Acres and Other Selected Poems, Plowed Ground, and Early Harvest. Pearson's poetry often focused upon farming and other aspects of rural
life and country living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On August 4, 1953 North Carolina Governor William B. Umstead
appointed Pearson as North Carolina's second Poet Laureate
. He kept this title until his death. His functions as poet laureate included reading poems at the inaugural ceremonies of North Carolina's Governors and promoting interest in poetry at schools, colleges, and universities across the state. Pearson was scheduled to appear on the Johnny Carson Show
, but upon learning that Pearson was hard of hearing, the show canceled, stating "we can't have Johnny yelling at an old man on the television." Among the memorials to Pearson is the James Larkin Pearson Award in free-verse poetry; the award is presented annually by the Poetry Council of North Carolina. The library at Wilkes Community College
in Wilkesboro, North Carolina is also named in Pearson's honor, and contains many of his personal papers.
attack while in Pearson's arms. He remarried, this time to Eleanor Fox, in 1939. She died in 1963. He did not remarry after his second wife's death. Pearson had two children: Agnes, who was adopted, and another daughter, who was stillborn
. For most of his adult life Pearson lived on his farm, called "Fifty Acres", in Boomer, North Carolina
. Pearson died on August 27, 1981, at the age of 101.
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
, and was the second poet to hold the title.
Background
Pearson was born on September 13, 1879 in the Brushy MountainsBrushy Mountains (North Carolina)
The Brushy Mountains are a mountain range located in northwestern North Carolina. They are an isolated "spur" of the much larger Blue Ridge Mountains, separated from them by the Yadkin River valley...
of Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 2000 U.S. Census listed the county's population at 65,632; the 2010 U.S. Census listed the population at 69,340...
. He was born in a log cabin on his parent's farm. According to Pearson in his book My Fingers and My Toes, his first attempt at poetry came when he was about four years old: "One cold winter day my father had me out with him and asked me, "Jimmy, are you cold?" Without taking any time to study out my answer, it came like a flash: "My fingers and my toes, my feet and my hands, are jist as cold, as you'd ever see a man's." From this point, Larkin wrote, he wanted to be a poet. He was a poor student in school and wrote that he "was set down as a hopeless case...quit school entirely at 16, having never been in school more than 12 months, from first to last." However, he continued to educate himself, even when he was plowing on the family farm: "I always carried my notebook and my pencil with me, and as I trudged between the plow-handles in the hot sunshine, my mind was busy working out a poem." Pearson worked on the family farm until he was 21.
Career As Poet and Publisher
In 1900 Pearson began working with R. Don Laws on The Yellow Jacket, a newspaper which was distributed nationally and known for its radical political views, such as espousing socialismSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. In 1910 Pearson began publishing his own newspaper, entitled The Fool-Killer. The paper was sold nationwide and at its height had over 50,000 subscribers. The paper's masthead showed an explosion blowing up the "drunken fool", "religious fool", "society fool", and the "political fool." Larkin wrote that "from the seclusion of these wooded hills will go forth a bundle of literary dynamite that will shake the rotten foundations of society...[The Fool-Killer] is salted with wit, peppered with humor, and seasoned with sarcasm." Larkin wrote the paper's editorials and included a good deal of his poetry in the paper. He used his paper to promote liberal economic policies and politicians who supported those policies, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and his New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
programs. A teetotaler, Pearson also supported the policy of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in The Fool-Killer. He stopped publishing the paper in 1935 following the death of his first wife, Cora Wallace, in 1934. In 1924 he printed a book of his poetry which he called Pearson's Poems and stated in the preface, "It was a rather big undertaking for me with my limited facilities and the work is not as perfect as a professional book-maker could have done. But it is fairly presentable anyhow, and I am rather pleased with it. Possibly the fact that I printed it with my own hands will be of some interest to the reader." In addition to My Fingers and My Toes, some of Pearson's many books of poetry are Fifty Acres and Other Selected Poems, Plowed Ground, and Early Harvest. Pearson's poetry often focused upon farming and other aspects of rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
life and country living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On August 4, 1953 North Carolina Governor William B. Umstead
William B. Umstead
William Bradley Umstead was an American Senator and the 63rd Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954.-Biography:Umstead was born in the northern Durham County town of Bahama in 1895...
appointed Pearson as North Carolina's second Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
. He kept this title until his death. His functions as poet laureate included reading poems at the inaugural ceremonies of North Carolina's Governors and promoting interest in poetry at schools, colleges, and universities across the state. Pearson was scheduled to appear on the Johnny Carson Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, but upon learning that Pearson was hard of hearing, the show canceled, stating "we can't have Johnny yelling at an old man on the television." Among the memorials to Pearson is the James Larkin Pearson Award in free-verse poetry; the award is presented annually by the Poetry Council of North Carolina. The library at Wilkes Community College
Wilkes Community College
Wilkes Community College , a member of the North Carolina Community College system, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties and beyond. The college is located in the city of Wilkesboro, North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge...
in Wilkesboro, North Carolina is also named in Pearson's honor, and contains many of his personal papers.
Family life
In May 1907 Pearson married Cora Wallace. She died in 1934 of an asthmaAsthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
attack while in Pearson's arms. He remarried, this time to Eleanor Fox, in 1939. She died in 1963. He did not remarry after his second wife's death. Pearson had two children: Agnes, who was adopted, and another daughter, who was stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
. For most of his adult life Pearson lived on his farm, called "Fifty Acres", in Boomer, North Carolina
Boomer, North Carolina
Boomer is a farming community located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Boomer is listed by the United States Census Bureau as a ZIP Code Tabulation Area . The population was 1,929 at the 2000 Census. The community was named after its first postmaster, Ed "Boomer" Matheson. The community was...
. Pearson died on August 27, 1981, at the age of 101.