American poet, born in Indiana, on the 10th of November; educated for the law. After some experiences of mining and journalism in Idaho and Oregon, he settled down in 1866 as judge in Grant county, OR, and during his four years’ tenure of this post he began to write verse. In 1870 he travelled in Europe, and in 1871 he published his first volume of poetry, full of tropical passion, Songs of the Sierras, on which his reputation mainly rests. His Songs of the Sunlands (1873) followed in the same vein, and after other volumes had appeared, his Collected Poems were published in 1882. He also wrote plays, The Danites in the Sierras having some success as a sensational melodrama. On his return from Europe he became a journalist in Washington, but in 1887 returned to California. His pen-name, “Joaquin Miller,” by which he is known, was assumed by him when he published his first book, in consequence of his having written an article in defence of Joaquin Murietta, the Mexican brigand. He died at Oakland, CA, on the 17th of February 1913.
Revised editions of his Complete Poetical Works appeared at San Francisco in 1902. See also Literary Criticism.
