Bess Streeter Aldrich
Encyclopedia
Bess Streeter Aldrich was an American
author
.
Bess Streeter was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
. After graduating from Iowa State Normal School
, she taught school at several locations in the west, later returning to Cedar Falls to earn an advanced degree in education. A writer since early childhood, she won a writing contest at age fourteen and another at seventeen.
In 1906, she married Charles Aldrich. They moved to Elmwood, Nebraska
, where Charles, Bess, her widowed mother, and family friends invested and purchased a bank. They had four children—Mary, Robert, Charles and James.
Aldrich began writing more regularly in 1911 when the Ladies' Home Journal
advertised a fiction contest, which she entered and won. Prior to 1918 she wrote under her pen name, Margaret Dean Stephens. She went on to become one of the highest-paid women writers of the period. Her stories often concerned Midwestern pioneer history and were very popular with teenage girls and young women.
Aldrich's first novel, Mother Mason, was published in 1924. When Charles died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1925, Aldrich took up writing as a means of supporting her family. She was the author of about 200 short stories and thirteen novels, including Miss Bishop. The latter novel was made into a movie Cheers for Miss Bishop
(1941
), which starred Martha Scott
and Edmund Gwenn
and premiered in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
Aldrich received an honorary degree in literature from the University of Nebraska in 1934 and was named into the Nebraska Hall of Fame
in 1973. She died in Lincoln on August 3, 1954.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Bess Streeter was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
. After graduating from Iowa State Normal School
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
, she taught school at several locations in the west, later returning to Cedar Falls to earn an advanced degree in education. A writer since early childhood, she won a writing contest at age fourteen and another at seventeen.
In 1906, she married Charles Aldrich. They moved to Elmwood, Nebraska
Elmwood, Nebraska
Elmwood is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 668 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elmwood is located at ....
, where Charles, Bess, her widowed mother, and family friends invested and purchased a bank. They had four children—Mary, Robert, Charles and James.
Aldrich began writing more regularly in 1911 when the Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
advertised a fiction contest, which she entered and won. Prior to 1918 she wrote under her pen name, Margaret Dean Stephens. She went on to become one of the highest-paid women writers of the period. Her stories often concerned Midwestern pioneer history and were very popular with teenage girls and young women.
Aldrich's first novel, Mother Mason, was published in 1924. When Charles died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1925, Aldrich took up writing as a means of supporting her family. She was the author of about 200 short stories and thirteen novels, including Miss Bishop. The latter novel was made into a movie Cheers for Miss Bishop
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Cheers for Miss Bishop is a film based on the novel Miss Bishop by Bess Streeter Aldrich. It was directed by Tay Garnett and stars Martha Scott in the title role. The other cast members include William Gargan, Edmund Gwenn, Sterling Holloway, Dorothy Peterson, Marsha Hunt, Don Douglas, and Sidney...
(1941
1941 in film
The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
), which starred Martha Scott
Martha Scott
Martha Ellen Scott was an American actress best known for her roles as mother of the lead character in numerous films and television shows.-Early life:...
and Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn was an English theatre and film actor.-Background:Born Edmund John Kellaway in Wandsworth, London , and educated at St. Olave's School and later at King's College London, Gwenn began his acting career in the theatre in 1895...
and premiered in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Aldrich received an honorary degree in literature from the University of Nebraska in 1934 and was named into the Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame
Nebraska Hall of Fame is an official list of prominent Nebraskans compiled in accordance to state law. Members include:*Grace Abbott -- social reformer and social worker....
in 1973. She died in Lincoln on August 3, 1954.
Novels
- Mother Mason (1924)
- The Rim of the Prairie (1925)
- The Cutters (1926)
- A Lantern in Her Hand (1928)
- A White Bird Flying (1931)
- Miss Bishop (1933)
- Spring Came on Forever (1935)
- The Man Who Caught the Weather (1936)
- Song of Years (1939)
- The Drum Goes Dead (1941)
- The Lieutenant's Lady (1942)
- Journey Into Christmas (1949)
- The Bess Streeter Aldrich Reader (1950)
- A Bess Streeter Aldrich Treasury (1959) (posthumous)
Other books
- The Collected Short Works, 1907-1919
- The Collected Short Works, 1920-1954
External links
- Official website All information on Aldrich's life and times.
- Bess Streeter Aldrich biography
- Works by Bess Streeter Aldrich at Project Gutenberg Australia