Jesse Ely Wills (1899–1977) was an American businessman and poet. He was the chairman of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company and the author of four poetry collections.[1] National Life was founded by his father, William Ridley Wills in 1902. Jesse Wills began working there at age 23 when he was a student at Vanderbilt University and remained with the company his entire career.[1] In 1925, the company created radio station WSM to help promote their business and built a studio on the fifth floor of their building. National Life Insurance and station WSM achieved international recognition in creating the "Grand Ole Opry " which was broadcast nationwide and became the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history.[2][3]
Jesse Ely Wills | |
|---|---|
 Jesse Ely Wills (newspaper article published in May, 1923) | |
| Died | March 4, 1977 |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, poet |
| Children | Ridley Wills II |
| Parent | William Ridley Wills |
| Relatives | William Ridley Wills (cousin) |
In 1922, while a student at Vanderbilt, Wills was a member of the "Fugitives," an influential literary movement.[4] The Fugitives wrote and published poetry, and included notable writers Robert Penn Warren, Allen Tate, John Crowe Ransom and Donald Davidson.[5] The group published the Fugitive Magazine between 1922 and 1925.[1] Two of the members (Warren and Tate) later became United States Poets Laureate.[6]
Selected works edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Jesse Ely Wills Memorial Rites To Be Monday". The Tennessean. March 5, 1977. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Connelly, John Lawrence (August 22, 2018). "National Life and Accident Insurance Company". tennesseeencyclopedia.net. Tennessee Historical Society. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ "Music/Grand Ole Opry". The Radio Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ^ "Fugitives Add to Literary Honors Of Tennessee". Special Features Section. Vol. 15, no. 17. Nashville Tennessean. May 27, 1923. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Malvasi, Mark G. (October 8, 2017). "The Fugitives". tennesseeencyclopedia.net. Tennessee Historical Society. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Past Poets Laureate 1937–1960". loc.gov. The Poetry and Literature Center at the U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
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