Author: POTTER, Reuben Marmaduke
Biography:
POTTER, Reuben Marmaduke (1802-90: WBIS)
Born in Woodbridge NJ but Texan by choice, Potter's reputation as a poet is overshadowed by his exploits as a Texan pioneer. His father was Ichabod Potter; the name of his mother is not reliably recorded. After his first foray as a dramatist in New York, in 1827 he went to Mexico as agent for a business there, and learnt Spanish. He was then caught up in the Texan Revolution of 1835-6 which led to the creation of the Republic of Texas; the Mexican War of 1846-8 which confirmed the American annexation of Texas; and the American Civil War of 1861-5, in which Potter became a prisoner of war of the Confederate forces. Potter never saw active military duty but he served the American forces as translator, interpreter, secretary, and assistant to the quartermaster. After being released on condition that he not take up arms, he was assigned to quartermaster duties in New York City. He retired in in 1882 with the rank of Captain. In 1853 he had married Fidelia Burchard in Austin; they had one child, but Potter appears to have outlived both wife and daughter. (Personal property went to three nieces in his will.) Potter kept up his writing throughout his life, mainly by way of contributions to magazines and newspapers. He was regarded as an authority on the Alamo and his Hymn of the Alamo (1836) was his best-known poem. He died in Brooklyn and is buried in Woodbridge NJ, having left money for his monument. He left unpublished mss, including a tragedy written in 1871, to a Military Service Institution; they are perhaps among his papers--though those are scattered--in the University of Texas Libraries. (Death notice, New York Herald 20 Mar. 1890; Heitman; Handbook of Texas Online 4 Jul. 2020; SNAC 4 Jul. 2020)