Complete List of U.S. Poet Laureates

The position of Poet Laureate in the U.S was instituted in 1936 and the position has been filled by some of the biggest talents in American Poetry. I thought it would be an interesting reference here on the blog to allow you to take a look at the entire list of U.S. Poet Laureates, you should learn more about these great artists and read their poetry.

To be a poet laureate, suffice it to say that those who elect you must believe that you have written some excellent poetry, and have contributed to the growth of poetry in the U.S.

Why haven't some of our greatest poets been named Poet Laureate? Well, simply put, there is a modicum of responsibility also required in the position - sort of a public guide to promote the face of poetry moving forward. Point of fact, there are quite a few poets out there who might not be the best choice for such a position (and probably wouldn't want it anyway).

Here's the list (start digging):

Joseph Auslander, 1937-1941
Allen Tate, 1943-1944
Robert Penn Warren, 1944-1945
Louise Bogan, 1945-1946
Karl Shapiro, 1946-1947
Robert Lowell, 1947-1948
Leonie Adams, 1948-1949
Elizabeth Bishop, 1949-1950
Conrad Aiken, 1950-1952, the first to serve two terms
William Carlos Williams, appointed in 1952 but did not serve
Randall Jarrell, 1956-1958
Robert Frost, 1958-1959
Richard Eberhart, 1959-1961
Louis Untermeyer, 1961-1963
Howard Nemerov, 1963-1964
Reed Whittemore, 1964-1965
Stephen Spender, 1965-1966
James Dickey, 1966-1968
William Jay Smith, 1968-1970
William Stafford, 1970-1971
Josephine Jacobsen, 1971-1973
Daniel Hoffman, 1973-1974
Stanley Kunitz, 1974-1976
Robert Hayden, 1976-1978
William Meredith, 1978-1980
Maxine Kumin, 1981-1982
Anthony Hecht, 1982-1984
Robert Fitzgerald, 1984-1985, appointed and served in a health-limited capacity, but did not come to the Library of Congress
Reed Whittemore, 1984-1985, Interim Consultant in Poetry
Gwendolyn Brooks, 1985-1986
Robert Penn Warren, 1986-1987, first to be Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry
Richard Wilbur, 1987-1988
Howard Nemerov, 1988-1990
Mark Strand, 1990-1991
Joseph Brodsky, 1991-1992
Mona Van Duyn, 1992-1993
Rita Dove, 1993-1995
Robert Hass, 1995-1997
Robert Pinsky, 1997-2000
Stanley Kunitz, 2000-2001
Billy Collins, 2001-2003
Louise Glück, 2003-2004
Ted Kooser, 2004-2006
Donald Hall, 2006-2007
Charles Simic, 2007-2008
Kay Ryan, 2008-2010
W.S.Merwin 2010
Philip Levine 2011 - 2012
Natasha Tretheway 2013 - 2014
Charles Wright - 2014 -