American poet whose work explores man's relationship with nature. He formed the habit of rising early to write every day, often musing on the minutia of life.

Stafford attended the University of Kansas (B.A., 1937; M.A., 1945) and the State University of Iowa, where he received a doctorate in 1955. A conscientious objector, he participated in outdoor work camps during World War II, and these experiences were the basis for his master's thesis, which was published as Down in My Heart (1947). In 1968 he joined the faculty of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, serving as English professor from 1960 to 1980. Stafford also was poetry consultant to the Library of Congress (1970–71; now poet laureate consultant in poetry) and poet laureate of Oregon (1975–90).

A prolific and accessible poet, Stafford often wrote about the American West while exploring universal themes. His first poetry collection, West of Your City, was published in 1960. In Traveling Through the Dark (1962), a volume of restrained and introspective verse, Stafford revealed his fascination with self-searching and discovery; it received the National Book Award for Poetry in 1962. Later collections include Allegiances (1970), A Glass Face in the Rain (1982), and An Oregon Message (1987). Stafford also wrote criticism and edited several anthologies. In Writing the Australian Crawl (1978) he described his writing process.