MacLeish, Archibald
(07 May 1892–20 April 1982)
- David Barber
Extract
MacLeish, Archibald (07 May 1892–20 April 1982), poet and playwright, was born in Glencoe, Illinois, the son of Andrew MacLeish, a prosperous dry-goods merchant, and Martha Hillard MacLeish, a college professor. Andrew MacLeish was a reserved, stern father whose lack of attention to his son may have generated Archibald’s fierce drive to succeed. The influence of Martha MacLeish, who worked to develop her four children’s sense of social responsibility, helps account for Archibald’s intense involvement in American public life as well as his concern for those in personal or political trouble....
