Richard Hovey (2)

Richard Hovey (4 May 1864, Normal, Illinois — 24 February 1900, New York) was an American poet and songwriter, best known as the author of Dartmouth College's official song, Alma Mater (1907), with music by Harry R. Wellman, and several more college glee club "standards," like Winter Song and Stein Song co-written with Frederick Field Bullard. Hovey grew up in North Amherst, Massachusetts, and lived in Washington, DC, before he enrolled in Dartmouth College. Richard published his first volume of poetry privately in 1880, graduating from Dartmouth in 1885. He collaborated with Canadian poet Bliss Carman on a three-volume collection of "tramp" verses, Songs from Vagabondia (1894), More Songs from Vagabondia (1896), and posthumous Last Songs… (1900) — published by F. Holland Day, Carman's and Hovey's fellow member of the "Visionists" social club in Boston (where Richard also met F.F. Bullard). He died prematurely at only 35 from unexpected complications of minor surgery.