Edgar Lee Masters was born on August 23, 1868, in Garnet, Kansas. He was the son of Hardin Wallace and Emma Dexter Masters. His great-great-grandfather Hillary Masters settled in Tennessee in 1804. His great-grandfather Thomas Masters moved from Overton County Tennessee to Morgan County Illinois in the late 1829 or early 1830. Squire Davis Masters and Lucinda Masters, his grandparents, settled in Menard County in 1846 or 1847, on a farm six miles north of Petersburg in Sandridge, where Edgar Lee returned each summer. They were the parents of four children with their youngest son being Edgar Lee's father, Harding W. Masters.
When Edgar Lee was a year old, his family moved to Petersburg, Illinois from Garnet Kansas. His father had previously practiced law in Petersburg, before moving to Garnet, Kansas. He continued to practice law throughout his life. In 1872, Hardin became Menard County's states attorney.
Edgar Lee Masters resided in Petersburg from the age of one to eleven years. From 1867 to 1881, they resided in the house that is know Memorial Museum. From there they moved to Lewiston Illinois.
He attended Lewiston high school. After graduating he attended Knox College for one year.
Over the course of his life, he worked, he taught at a county school, he edited a local newspaper, studied law at his father's office and wrote poems. He took the Bar exam in 1892. He practiced law for a short time in St. Paul, Minnesota, then he returned to his father's law office. In July of 1893, he moved to Chicago where he practiced law successfully for over thirty years.
In 1915, at the age of 45 Masters published Spoon River Anthology which became an instant best seller. Although a bestseller his mother did not like the novel, but his father did. The poems contained a portrayal of over two hundred fictional and nonfictional inhabitance of Spoon River, bringing out all aspects of life. This publication is considered to be Masters greatest contribution to American literature.
After he wrote Spoon River Anthology he became more involved in his writings and eventually gave up practicing law and moved to New York. Masters published a total of fifty-three volumes of poetry, plays, novels, and biographies.
Masters first married Helen Jenkins, and they were the parents of three children: a son, Hardin; a daughter, Madeline; and a daughter, Marcia. He later married Ellen Coyne, and they had one son, Hillary. Masters had two granddaughters: Gloria Miner, Madeline's daughter; and Marcia Cavell, Marcia's daughters.
Masters was deeply attatched to his grandfather, Squire Davis, who died within a month of his and his wife's 70th wedding anniversary in 1904. He is also buried at Oakland Cemetery.
Edgar Lee Masters died on March 5, 1950, at Melorose Park, PA of a pnemonia. The final rites for Masters' were reead at the Satorius Funeral Home at 2:00 on March 10. The services were simple. They consisted of Maters favorite musical recordings including Chopin's "Berceuse", parts of Beethoven's "Fifth", the second movement of Franks' Symphony, oarts if Dvorark's "New World", and Sibelieus' "Finlandia." G. William Horsley of Springfeild read "Silence" by Masters. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Petersburg, Illinois. At the graveside Mr. Horsley read a short prayer that Squire Davis had said at the family table many years before and folling the prayer he read "Howard Lamson" from Spoon River Anthogy. The Springfield Illinois Register stated his obituary:

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