Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967) was an American poet, journalist, and biographer. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. His works, including Chicago Poems (1916) and The War Years (1939), captured the spirit of working-class America.
Born in Galesburg, Illinois, to Swedish immigrants, he left school at 13 and worked various jobs, from a milkman to a hotel servant. In 1898, he served in the Spanish – American War before attending Lombard College, where he honed his writing skills. He later became a reporter for the Chicago Daily News, covering labor and racial tensions.
His biography of Lincoln, The Prairie Years and The War Years, became the most widely read study of the president. In 1945, he moved to North Carolina, where he continued writing and collecting American folk music. A vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, he was honored by the NAACP for his advocacy.
Sandburg passed away in 1967, and his ashes were interred beneath Remembrance Rock in Galesburg. His poetry, biographies, and children’s stories continue to inspire, solidifying his place as a major literary voice in American history.