Happy birthday, Edgar Guest

It is the birthday of English-born poet Edgar Guest (1881), who became America's most famous poet. He once had a television show, a radio show and a column that was syndicated in newspapers throughout the country.

He considered himself a newspaperman who happened to write verse. He began as a copy boy at the Detroit Free Press and worked his way up to reporter. At the height of his career he appeared on a weekly radio show for 11 years, beginning in 1932. In 1951, he had a TV show on NBC, A Guest in Your Home. His poetry collections were best sellers.

He was born in Birmingham, England, and his family moved to Detroit when he was 10. His father died when he was 17, and he went to work full time at the newspaper. He became an American citizen in 1902.

Here's Harvey Keitel reciting one of Edgar Guest's best-loved poems.