George Frederick Cameron
George Frederick Cameron was a Canadian poet and editor, born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of fifteen. He pursued a law degree at Boston University and began publishing poetry in various literary journals while establishing his legal career. In 1882, he returned to Canada to study religion at Queen's University, where he gained recognition for his poetry, winning a prize in a university contest. Cameron's career included serving as the editor of the Kingston News and marrying Ella Amey, with whom he had one daughter, Jessie. Tragically, he developed chronic insomnia and passed away from heart disease just before his thirty-first birthday. After his death, his brother published a collection of his poems titled "Lyrics on Freedom, Love, and Death." Cameron's poetry is notable for its focus on identity struggles rather than Canadian nationalism, setting him apart from his contemporaries. Much of his work remains unpublished, leading to ongoing debates about his place in late-nineteenth-century Canadian poetry. His remaining unpublished poems are preserved in the library of the University of British Columbia.
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George Frederick Cameron
Poet
- Born: September 24, 1854
- Birthplace: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Died: September 17, 1885
Biography
The son of a carpenter, George Frederick Cameron was born and raised in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada. At the age of fifteen, Cameron and his family relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston University of Law and entered the legal profession upon his graduation. While a student and lawyer in Massachusetts, Cameron published poetry in numerous literary journals, including the Commercial Bulletin and the Courier.
In 1882, Cameron returned to Canada to attend Queen’s University in Ontario to study religion. As a student, he gained recognition for his poetry. In 1883, Cameron won third prize in the university’s poetry contest. That same year, Cameron took a position as editor of the Kingston News and married Ella Amey. The couple had one daughter, Jessie Cameron.
Cameron developed chronic insomnia after becoming editor of the Kingston News Two years after joining the newspaper, he died of heart disease just one week before his thirty- first birthday. After his death, his brother, Charles J. Cameron, published a large volume of his brother’s poems entitled Lyrics on Freedom, Love, and Death. Much of his romantic poetry remains unpublished, although Charles J. Cameron also released his brother’s opera, Leo, The Royal Cadet, in 1889.
While Cameron chronologically belongs to the Confederation generation of poets who were inspired by their young homeland— like Charles G. D. Roberts, Archibald Lampman, and Bliss Carma—the nature of his work is different. Unlike the others, Cameron was not concerned with Canadian nationalism (his poems about freedom deal with the identity struggles of foreign lands), and he did not depict nature in the precise fashion of his contemporary, Lampman. Much of Cameron’s work has not been published, so opinion is still divided as to the significance of his poetry; it remains to be determined if he was a peripheral and derivative writer, or a major creative force in late-nineteenth century Canadian poetry. Cameron’s remaining unpublished work is housed in the library of the University of British Columbia.