Robert Penn Warren (1905 - 1989)

Born 24 Apr 1905 in Guthrie, Todd, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Emma (Brescia) Gardner — married 12 Sep 1930 in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States

Died 15 Sep 1989 at age 84 in Stratton, Windham, Vermont, United States

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Biography

Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935. He received the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel for his novel All the King's Men (1946) and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1958 and 1979. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry.

His most notable novel is All the King's Men, loosely inspired by the life and death of Huey Long.

His 2nd GGF was revolutionary war hero Abram Penn.

His 5th GGF was immigrant Batholomew Stovall.

"Robert Penn Warren, affectionately known as “Red”, was born in 1905 in Guthrie, Kentucky. Robert lived in Kentucky until he transferred to Clarksville High School his senior year. He did this in the hopes of improving his chances of getting accepted into Vanderbilt University. While he was there, he regularly wrote for and edited the school’s publication, Purple and Gold. In 1921, his hard work paid off as he graduated from high school and began attending Vanderbilt.

While he was at university, Robert joined the Fugitives. This was a group of Nashville writers who were attempting to highlight the distinct regional characteristics of the South. They published a magazine, The Fugitive, which ran from 1921 until 1925. He worked alongside notable literary figures such as Caroline Gordon and Evelyn Scott during his time with the Fugitives.

His first published piece of work was a poem entitled “Prophecy” which was published by The Mess Kit, a Camp Knox publication company, in 1921. He quickly achieved recognition and acclaim and went on to have an illustrious writing career which ran parallel to a teaching career.

From 1931 to 1934, Robert taught at Vanderbilt University. He then transferred to Louisiana University where he met Cleanth Brooks. The pair would go on to write eight books covering topics related to teaching literature. Simultaneous to these achievements, he was also busy publishing novels, collections of poems, and plays.

Robert won the Pulitzer Prize three times. The first in 1947 for his novel All the King’s Men. The second in 1958 for a collection of poems titled “Promises” and the third in 1978 for another collection of poems titled “Now and Then”. He was also awarded the MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1981 and the Gold Medal for Poetry awarded from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1985. However, his crowning moment came in 1986 when he became the first Poet Laureate of the United States." Mongtomery County Archives.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Penn_Warren

Robert is buried at the Willis Cemetery in Stratton, Windham County, Vermont, USA. His page lists and has links to his parents, 1 sibling, 2 spouses. There is also a picture of him. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7523/robert-penn-warren

"Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMDL-N62 : 18 March 2019), R P Warren, 12 Sep 1930; citing Marriage, Crittenden, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 2,109,918.

"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2X9-KPC : accessed 30 March 2019), Robert Penn Warren in household of Robert F Warren, Boxville, Todd, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 110, sheet 1B, family 22, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 504; FHL microfilm 1,374,517.

"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHPF-BLT : accessed 30 March 2019), Robert P Warren in household of Robert Warren, Guthrie, Todd, Kentucky, United States; citing ED 124, sheet 12A, line 31, family 257, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 599; FHL microfilm 1,820,599.

"Vermont Vital Records, 1760-2008," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFRZ-TD8 : 12 November 2017), Robert Penn Warren, Death, 15 Sep 1989, Vermont, United States; from "Vermont, Birth Records, 1909-2008," "Vermont, Death Records, 1909-2008," "Vermont, Marriage Records, 1909-2008," and "Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908." Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2010); citing Vital Records Office, Vermont Department of Health, Burlington and New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.