About Florence Van Leer Earle Coates
Florence Van Leer Nicholson Coates (née Earle; July 1, 1850 – April 6, 1927) was an American poet whose prolific output was published in dozens of literary magazines, some of it set to music. She was mentored by the English poet Matthew Arnold, with whom she maintained a lasting friendship. She was famous for her many nature poems, inspired by the flora and fauna of the Adirondacks, where she and her husband Edward Hornor Coates maintained a summer camp. She was elected poet laureate by the State Federation of Women's Clubs (Pennsylvania) in 1915. == Biography == Florence Van Leer Earle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest daughter of lawyer George Hussey Earle Sr. and his wife, "Fanny" (née Frances Van Leer). She was the granddaughter of noted abolitionist and philanthropist Thomas Earle and a member of the influential Van Leer family. She gained fame both at home and abroad for her works of poetry, which were widely published in literary magazines such as the Atlantic Monthly, Scribner's Magazine, The Literary Digest, Lippincott's, The Century Magazine, and Harper's. Many of her poems were set to music by notable composers such as Amy Beach. She attended school in New England under the instruction of abolitionist and teacher Theodore Dwight Weld, and would further her education abroad at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Paris (Rue de Varenne), and by studying music in Brussels under noted instructors of the day.
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