Henry James Pye

Henry James Pye
Henry James Pye, circa 1800-1808.
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
In office
28 July 1790 – 11 August 1813
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded byThomas Warton
Succeeded byRobert Southey
Personal details
Born20 February 1745
Died11 August 1813(1813-08-11) (aged 68)
Pinner, Middlesex, England
Resting placePinner's parish church of St John the Baptist
SpouseMartha Corbett (1801–1813) his death
ChildrenHarry James Pye
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
OccupationPoet Laureate

Henry James Pye (/p/; 20 February 1745 – 11 August 1813) was an English poet, and Poet Laureate from 1790 until his death. His appointment as laureate owed nothing to poetic achievement and may have been awarded to him as compensation for the loss of his seat in Parliament. Pye was a competent prose writer who fancied himself as a poet, earning the derisive label of poetaster.