Philip Henry Savage (February 11, 1868 – June 4, 1899) was an American poet.

Biography

Born in

North Brookfield, Massachusetts North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North ...

on February 11, 1868, he was the son of Minot Judson Savage, a well-known Unitarian minister, and Ella A. Dodge. The family moved several times during his early life: to

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...

, then to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and finally to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1874. He graduated from the

English High School of Boston The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

in 1885. He worked at the leather and shoe company Bachfelder and Lincoln, spending "a number of years drumming boots and shoes in the northeastern states" before he began attending Harvard in 1889 at age 21. He graduated there in 1893, and was conferred the degree of A.M. in 1896. During his time there, he edited the Harvard Monthly for three years, as well as editing a bi-weekly literary periodical, ''

The Mahogany Tree ''The Mahogany Tree'' was a weekly literary magazine published from January until December 1892. The magazine was based in Boston. Overview The magazine was started by Mildred Aldrich, and it was supposedly "devoted solely to the 'fine arts'." Acc ...

'', which was published out of Boston. After spending a year (1893-1894) at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

, he became an English instructor in Harvard's English department, and was able to publish his first volume of poems, ''First Poems and Fragments'', in 1895. Refusing a position as an English instructor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, he began work at the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonwea ...

as Secretary to the Librarian (who was, at the time, Herbert Putnam), becoming a Clerk of the Corporation in 1899. On May 31, 1899, he was stricken with

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

, and after a weeklong illness, he died on June 4 at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1901, his collected poems were posthumously edited and released by his friend, well-known composer and musicologist,

Daniel Gregory Mason Daniel Gregory Mason (November 20, 1873 – December 4, 1953) was an American composer and music critic. Biography Mason was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He came from a long line of notable American musicians, including his father Henry Ma ...

, as ''the Poems of Philip Henry Savage.'' Mason praised Savage for "delicate idealism." Savage's nature poetry won the most praise from critics of his time. He was a close friend of another Harvard poet,

William Vaughn Moody William Vaughn Moody (July 8, 1869 – October 17, 1910) was an American dramatist and poet. Moody was author of ''The Great Divide'', first presented under the title of ''The Sabine Woman'' at the Garrick Theatre in Chicago on April 12, 1906. Hi ...

, who he entered Harvard with in 1889. Savage is often linked with a group known as the Harvard poets (or the Harvard Pessimists), many of whom died young (such as

Trumbull Stickney Joseph Trumbull Stickney (June 20, 1874 – October 11, 1904) was an American classical scholar and poet. Biography He was born in Geneva and spent much of his early life in Europe. He attended Harvard University from 1891, when he became editor ...

George Cabot Lodge George Cabot "Bay" Lodge (October 10, 1873 – August 21, 1909) was an American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life Lodge was born in Boston on October 10, 1873, and grew up at his parents' home in Nahant, Massachusett ...

, Thomas Parker Sanborn, and Hugh McCulloch).Whittle, Amberys R. ''Trumbull Stickney.'' Page 48. Bucknell University Press, 1973.

Bibliography

*''First Poems and Fragments'' (1895

*''Poems'' (1898) *''The Poems of Philip Henry Savage'' (1900

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Philip Henry 19th-century American poets American male poets Harvard Divinity School alumni 1868 births 1899 deaths 19th-century American male writers Deaths from appendicitis