Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom office. Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell, was appointed in 1689 for life. He introduced the custom of producing poems for the new year and the monarch's birthday, which became one of the key duties of the position. After the appointment of William Wordsworth in 1843 the duties settled into an expectation, not requirement, for major court and national occasions. Alfred, Lord Tennyson held the post between November 1850 and October 1892. According to Andrew Motion and Hilary Laurie, Tennyson "gave the poet laureateship new status and significance" with works such as "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and
Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia The Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia of the official poet of the District of Columbia. The Poet Laureate is officially appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The poet laureate program was established in 1984 by former mayor Marion Barry. The first poet laureate was Sterling A. Brown, a native Washingtonian and winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize he held the position until his death in 1989. On May 14, 1999 Dolores Kendrick was named the second Poet Laureate