Fay Hempstead

Fay Hempstead (November 24, 1847 – April 24, 1934) was an American poet, author, and lawyer. He wrote about Arkansas history and politics, authoring the state's first history textbook. He became the third Poet Laureate of Freemasonry in 1908. He was also the grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas for 53 years.

Early life Hempstead was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 24, 1847. His parents were Elizabeth Rebecca (nee Beall) and Samuel Hutchinson Hempstead, an attorney and postmaster in Little Rock. He had private tutors and attended local private schools.

Career Hempstead was a lawyer and partner in the firm of George A. Gallagher and Robert C. Newton in Little Rock from 1869 to 1872. He wrote a poem about travelers from Arkansas who were massacred in Utah.

Hempstead's coronation as the Poet Laureate of Freemasonry was held on October 5, 1908, in Chicago. Robert Burns was the first poet to receive this honor; Hempstead was the third. He was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery.

Selected publications

Books A History of the State of Arkansas for the Use of Schools. New Orleans: F. F. Hansell & Bro., 1889. A Pictorial History of Arkansas, From the Earliest Times to the Year 1890. St. Louis: N. D. Thompson Publishing Company, 1890. Historical review of Arkansas: Its Commerce, Industry and Modern Affairs. vol. 1. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911. A History of Cryptic Masonry in Arkansas. Little Rock: Parke-Harper Publishing Co., 1922.

Poetry collections Random Arrows. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1878. Poems. Little Rock: Democratic Printing and Lithographing Company, 1908.