On November 28, 1948, Arthur Talmage Abernethy was appointed Poet Laureate, just before the end of Governor R. Gregg Cherry's term of office.
Abernethy’s term was to expire with the end of Cherry’s term. Abernethy was therefore officially Poet Laureate for only a few weeks, from November 28, 1948 through January 5, 1949. However, because Governor Kerr Scott did not appoint a successor, Abernethy remained the designated Poet Laureate until August 1953, when Governor William Umstead appointed James Larkin Pearson to the post.
Abernethy’s career included time as a professor and a journalist, and he also served as a Magistrate and Justice of the Peace, frequently filing his annual reports in verse. He also found time to write more than 50 books and thousands of poems. The books covered history, southern folklore, and evangelical subjects. Surprisingly, history records none of his poetry published in book form.
Other related resources:
- The poet laureate role and biographies of the poets laureate on NCpedia
- Resources related to the poet laureate program from the N.C. Arts Council