Brewster Higley VI | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Brewster M. Higley, late 19th century | |
| Born | November 30, 1823 Rutland, Ohio, US |
| Died | December 9, 1911 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Otolaryngologist |
| Known for | Wrote the lyrics for "Home on the Range" |
Brewster Martin Higley VI, MD (November 30, 1823 – December 9, 1911) was an otolaryngologist who became famous for writing "My Western Home". Originally written in 1871 or 1872 and published under the title "My Western Home" in the Smith County Pioneer in the fall of 1873, possibly December, this poem later became the original lyrics for the famous American folk song "Home on the Range".[1][2]
Because Higley wrote "Home on the Range" while living in Smith County, Kansas, and because Kansans felt it described their state very well, the Kansas legislature voted to make "Home on the Range" the official state song on April 8, 1947.[3]
- ^ Mechem, Kirke (November 1949). "The Story of Home on The Range" (PDF). Kansas Historical Quarterly. 17 (4): 313–339. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Moanfeldt, Samuel (May 1935). "Report of Samuel Moanfeldt of His Investigation [to the Music Publishers Protection Association]." Reprinted in Mechem, Kirke, "The Story of Home on the Range" (pp. 313-339), Kansas Historical Quarterly, 17(4), pp. 332-339, November 1949. https://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1949/1949november_mechem.pdf#page=24
- ^ Hoy, Jim; Isern, Tom (October 2003). Home on the Range – A Lesson on our State Song. Emporia State University. Retrieved October 23, 2007.