John Hall Wheelock
John Hall Wheelock was an American poet and editor born in 1886 in Far Rockaway, Long Island, New York. He developed an interest in poetry during his education at Morristown School and further pursued this passion while attending Harvard University, where he associated with notable literary figures. After a brief study in Germany, Wheelock began his editorial career at Charles Scribner's Sons, where he eventually became editor in chief. His first significant poetry collection, "The Human Fantasy," published in 1911, garnered critical acclaim and caught the attention of poet Sara Teasdale, though he did not reciprocate her romantic feelings. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Wheelock published multiple volumes of poetry and contributed to the literary world by editing the Poets of Today series later in his career. He was recognized for his contributions to poetry and literature, serving as vice president of the Poetry Society of America and receiving their Gold Medal in 1972. While Wheelock's work was celebrated in his time, it saw a decline in critical attention in later decades, leading to a diminished reputation. He passed away in 1978, leaving behind a complex legacy shaped by both his poetic endeavors and editorial influence.
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John Hall Wheelock
Poet
- Born: September 9, 1886
- Birthplace: Far Rockaway, Long Island, New York
- Died: March 22, 1978
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
John Hall Wheelock was born in 1886 in Far Rockaway, Long Island, New York. His father was a successful physician, and the coastal area of his family’s home provided inspiration for Wheelock’s poetry. Wheelock became interested in poetry while he attended Morristown School in New Jersey, and he continued to write while he was a student at Harvard University. At Harvard, he met some students who became important literary figures of the period, notably Van Wyck Brooks and Maxwell Perkins. In 1909 and 1910, Wheelock studied for a doctorate in Germany, but he left the country without completing the degree.
Returning home, he worked briefly with Brooks at Funk & Wagnalls, where they worked on the New Standard Dictionary; however, Wheelock eventually was fired because he lacked the skill to write definitions. He then began his lifelong career with another publisher, Charles Scribner’s Sons. At the same time, he published a collection of his poetry, The Human Fantasy, in 1911, and it received substantial critical praise.
This volume brought Wheelock’s work to the attention of the poet Sara Teasdale, who sought out Wheelock and became infatuated with him. However, Wheelock did not respond to Teasdeal’s romantic advances, which she attributed to his extreme shyness. Teasdale eventually abandoned any hope of a romance with Wheelock, but she nonetheless helped to further his poetic ambitions.
Wheelock published volumes of poetry steadily during the 1910’s and 1920’s. At the same time, he was advancing as an editor at Scribner’s, where he was mentored by Perkins and eventually became editor in chief. Like Perkins, he contributed significantly to shaping the work of novelist Thomas Wolfe. He also edited the Poets of Today series, a project he began when he was in his late sixties. In 1940, he met and married Phyllis de Kay.
Wheelock received numerous honors during his career. He was vice president of the Poetry Society of America from 1944 to 1946 and received the group’s Gold Medal in 1972; he also was an honorary consultant in American letters to the Library of Congress from 1967 to 1973. Wheelock’s poetic vision was shaped by the romantic work of writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; critics in later decades lost interest in his poems and his artistic reputation fell with the shrinking critical attention. Wheelock died in 1978.