William Carman Roberts

1874-1941

William Carman Roberts (poet, editor, professor of politics at New York University) was born on 6 December 1874 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Roberts attended the Collegiate School in Fredericton, then the University of New Brunswick, but left in the spring of 1896 because of poor health. In 1897, Roberts moved to New York City. Roberts’ first published poems appeared in the Dominion Illustrated when he was sixteen. When Roberts was twenty-three years old his brother Charles found him a job working with The Illustrated American. After only working there for a few months, he moved to The Literary Digest, holding the position of managing editor for thirty years. Throughout the late 1890s Roberts published several poems in New York magazines. In the fall of 1899 these poems, along with his earlier ones, were published in Northland Lyrics, a family collection. Shortly after, he began to focus on prose, publishing articles on the North-West Mounted Police and Wilfrid Laurier. He also wrote a few political articles for The Craftsman, which his wife Mary Fanton edited.  In the mid-1930s, The Literary Digest’s circulation started to decline, and Roberts left The Digest just before the last issue was published. He and his wife retired to Oswegatchie, Connecticut in 1940. Roberts died 21 November 1941  in New London, Connecticut.Boone, Kelsey.  “William Carman Roberts” New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia, Spring 2010. Accessed 19 April 2023.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Fredericton

Archival Material