Charles Sangster

Charles Sangster (July 16, 1822 – December 9, 1893) was a Canadian poet. He was the first poet to write poetry which was substantially about Canadian subjects.

Life Sangster was born at the Navy Yard on Point Frederick (now the site of Royal Military College of Canada), near Kingston, Ontario, the son of Ann Ross and James Sangster. A twin sister died in infancy.

Writing career and success In 1849 Sangster quit his job at Fort Henry and moved to Amherstburg, Ontario, where he became editor of the Amherstburg Courier.

In 1853 Sangster took a steamship excursion down the St. Lawrence River and up the Saguenay River in Quebec, which he wrote about for the Whig in a series of travel letters called "Etchings by the Way"—material he would also use in his long poem, "The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay".

Sangster published his first book of poetry, The St Lawrence and the Saguenay, and Other Poems, in 1856. The book was widely praised by reviewers and readers. According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, the volume "was received with unanimous acclaim as the best and most important book of poetry produced in Canada until that time."

That same year, Sangster married Mary Kilborn, a 21-year-old Kingston woman. The couple moved into a brick house at 144 Barrie Street. An historical plaque was later erected to educate the public about the Sangster home. Mary died of pneumonia 16 months later.

Post office and retirement By 1867, Sangster was in poor health, suffering from depression and a nervous disorder. He was also having financial difficulties. To help him out his neighbor, the new Postmaster-General Alexander Campbell arranged a job for the 46-year-old Sangster in Ottawa with Canada's new Post Office Department in 1868. His daughter Charlotte died in 1868, shortly after the move to Ottawa. The same year, though, Mrs. Sangster gave birth to a second daughter, Florence. Two years later, in 1870, their third daughter, Gertrude was born, followed in 1879 by a son, Roderick.

By the summer of 1871, all four manuscripts were complete, and Sangster sent them off to Lighthall (who had become his literary executor). However, before any of them could be published, Sangster died. None of them were published until the 1970s.

Sangster's inspiration was drawn from three themes: love, nature and religion. He wrote many poems about his experiences and was commended for his ability to express the beauty of Canada's landscapes. Sangster was often called the "father of Canadian poetry" because of this. Hesperus, and Other Poems and Lyrics. Kingston: J. Creighton, 1860. Montreal: J. Lovell, 1860. London, UK: Trubner, 1860. Our Norland. Toronto: Copp Clark. The St Lawrence and the Saguenay and other poems; Hesperus and other poems and lyrics, intro. Gordon Johnston (Toronto: University of Toronto Press and Buffalo, N.Y., 1972. Norland echoes and other strains and lyrics. Frank M. Tierney ed. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 1976. The angel guest and other poems and lyrics. Frank M. Tierney ed. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 1977. Hesperus and other poems and lyrics (rev. ed.). Frank M. Tierney ed. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 1979. St. Lawrence and the Saguenay and other poems (rev. ed.). Frank M. Tierney ed. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 1984. ,

Except where noted, bibliographic information courtesy Dictionary of Canadian Biography.