Riley, James Whitcomb (1849-1916), won fame as the Hoosier Poet. He wrote much verse in pure English, but his most popular poems were those he wrote in the dialect of his home state of Indiana. They include “When the Frost Is on the Punkin’,” “Out to Aunt Mary’s,” and “Little Orphant Annie.” These works are characterized by light humor, pathos, and sentiment. Riley’s poems were published in a number of collections, including The Old Swimmin’-Hole and ‘Leven More Poems (1883), Rhymes of Childhood (1890), Poems Here at Home (1893), and Book of Joyous Children (1902).
Riley, the son of a lawyer, was born on Oct. 7, 1849, in Greenfield, Indiana. He left home after receiving a grammar school education and worked for a time as a sign painter. For a short period, he traveled with a medicine show. Riley had heard the dialect and learned the manners of the country folk of Indiana from his childhood, and he began to write poems about them.
Riley joined the Indianapolis Journal in 1877. He made his home in Indianapolis. He began to contribute poems to several papers under the name “Benj. F. Johnson of Boone.” He became a celebrated platform reader and appeared throughout the United States, often with the humorist Bill Nye. Riley died on July 22, 1916.
See also Indiana (Places to visit).
