here is a quick definition as for as how many there have been in the us i am not sure, i will try to look it up.(posted 9545 days ago)poet laureate (noun), plural poets laureate or poet laureates
First appeared 15th Century
1 : a poet honored for achievement in his art
2 : a poet appointed for life by an English sovereign as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to compose poems for court and national occasions
3 : one regarded by a country or region as its most eminent or representative poet