Margaret Bell Houston

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Margaret Bell Houston
Born1877 (1877)
Cedar Bayou, Texas
DiedJune 22, 1966(1966-06-22) (aged 88–89)
St. Petersburg, Florida
NationalityAmerican
EducationSt. Mary's College
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Columbia University
Occupation(s)Writer and suffragist

Margaret Bell Houston (also Margaret Bell Houston Kauffman, 1877 – June 22, 1966) was an American writer and suffragist who lived in Texas and New York.[1] Houston published over 20 novels, most of them set in Texas.[2] Her work was also published in Good Housekeeping and McCalls in serial format.[1]

Early life

Houston was born in Cedar Bayou, Texas, in 1877, to Sam Houston Jr. and his wife Lucy Anderson. Her paternal grandparents were Sam Houston and Margaret Lea Houston.[3] She began writing at age eight.[1] She was the sister of Dallas resident Harry Howard Houston (1883–1935).[4]

Education

Houston attended St. Mary's College, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Columbia University.[5] She was first published in the newspapers, the Brenham Banner and the Dallas News.[1]

Personal life

Houston moved to Dallas and married a businessman named Kauffman.[6] In 1913, she was the first president of the Dallas Equal Suffrage Association (DESA).[7] Under her tenure as president of DESA, the group grew to around 200 members.[6] She also started writing her first novel, Little Straw Wife (1914), during that time.[8]

Houston moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1953.[5] Cottonwoods Grow Tall (1958), written after her move to Florida received "critical praise as a work of literary merit".[9] Kirkus Reviews called it a "femininely accented story".[10]

Houston died in St. Petersburg on June 22, 1966.[11] Her body was transported back to Dallas to be buried at Restland Cemetery.[5]

Selected publications

  • Cottonwoods Grow Tall. New York: Crown Publishers. 1958. OCLC 1445014.
  • Yonder. New York: Crown Publishers. 1955. OCLC 6227307.
  • Bride's Island. New York: Crown Publishers. 1951. OCLC 285589.
  • Pilgrim in Manhattan. New York: D. Appleton-Century Co. 1940. OCLC 6629304.
  • Window in Heaven. New York: D. Appleton-Century Co. 1937. OCLC 7602976.
  • Hurdy-gurdy, a Novel. New York: D. Appleton. 1932. OCLC 2416057.
  • Moon of Delight. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. 1931. OCLC 3467236.
  • Lanterns in the Dusk. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. 1930. OCLC 2051973.
  • The Singing Heart, and Other Poems. Dallas: Cokesbury Press. 1926. OCLC 1617077.
  • The Witch Man. Boston: Small, Maynard & Company. 1922. OCLC 1817150.
  • Little Straw Wife. New York: H.K. Fly Company. 1914. OCLC 2416054.
  • Prairie Flowers. Boston: R.G. Badger. 1907. OCLC 18373036.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Glasscock, James W. (9 October 1938). "Sam Houston's Granddaughter, Noted Poet, Arrives in Valley". Harlingen Valley Sunday Star Monitor Herald. Retrieved 15 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ "Houston Descendant to be Buried Today". Amarillo Globe Times. 15 July 1966. Retrieved 15 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Sam Houston's Granddaughter Writes Monitor-Index Serial". Moberly Monitor Index. 13 July 1931. Retrieved 15 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "Obituary for Harry Howard Houston (Aged 52)". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 6 November 1935.
  5. ^ a b c Bard, William E. (15 June 2010). "Houston, Margaret Bell". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Enstam 2001, p. 31.
  7. ^ Enstam 1998, p. 158.
  8. ^ Enstam 2001, p. 32.
  9. ^ Enstam 1998, p. 157.
  10. ^ "Cottonwoods Grow Tall". Kirkus Reviews. 25 September 1958. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Granddaughter of Sam Houston Dies; Rites Set". El Paso Herald Post. 15 July 1966. Retrieved 15 April 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.

Bibliography