Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1878. At 13, Sandburg left school and began working. He briefly attended Lombard College but did not receive a degree. Sandburg began a writing career as a journalist for Chicago Daily News. He later wrote poetry, history, novels, biographies, children’s literature, and film reviews. Sandburg received three Pulitzer Prizes, including two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. Some of his best known works include the poem “Chicago,” the children’s story collection Rootabega Stories, and the biography Abraham Lincoln: The War Years. Sandburg also won a Grammy Award in 1959 for his spoken word recording of Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. Sandburg died at age 87 of natural causes.