Vorse, Mary Heaton, 1874-1966

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Mary Heaton Vorse (nee Mary Marvin Heaton), author, labor journalist, and social critic, was born in New York City on October 11, 1874 and grew up in Amherst, Mass. Her parents traveled extensively in Europe and Mary received a major part of her education abroad, where she learned to speak fluent French, Italian, and German. Her early desire was to be an artist and as a young woman she spent several winters studying art in Paris.

Albert White Vorse, whom she married in 1898, died in 1910. She married Joseph O'Brien in 1912, and was widowed for the second time in 1915. She had three children: Heaton White Vorse, Mary Ellen (Vorse) Boyden, and Joel O'Brien. From 1907 until her death in 1966 Mrs. Vorse made her home in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Vorse's professional writing career began when she served as a substitute book-reviewer on the Criterion, a magazine which was then being edited by her husband, Albert White Vorse. Although known in later years primarily as a labor writer and journalist, she achieved her initial success as a writer of light fiction, both short stories and novels. Her published writings include sixteen books and more than 400 articles and stories which have appeared in over 70 periodicals, including Woman's Home Companion, McCall's, Harper's, Masses, New Republic, New Yorker, McClure's, Survey, Delineator, Atlantic, and Ladies' Home Journal. In addition, she has written countless news articles and series for International News Service (INS), U.P., North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA), Labor Press Associates, Federated Press, New York Post, New York World, Washington Post, Washington News, Paris Post, and many others.

In 1962 Mrs. Vorse, along with Eleanor Roosevelt and Upton Sinclair, received the Social Justice Award from the United Automobile Workers. On June 14, 1966 Mary Heaton Vorse died at her home in Provincetown.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Yaddo records, 1870-1980 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Vorse, Mary Heaton, 1874-1966. Correspondence with Theodore Dreiser, 1931. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company contracts, 1831-1979 (inclusive) 1880-1940 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Consumers' League of Massachusetts. Records, 1891-1955 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Frank, Adelaide Schulkind. Papers, 1925-1972 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Mary Vorse Heaton Papers, 1928-1930. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
creatorOf Spivak, John Louis, 1897- . Papers, 1929-1948 (bulk 1929-1933). Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
creatorOf Turlington, Henry E., b. 1945,. The Henry E. Turlington Collection of Cyril Kay-Scott and Evelyn Scott Materials, 1881-1987, (bulk 1920-1957, 1983-1985). Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Huntington, Catharine Sargent, 1887-1987. Papers, 1913-1987 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Robert Watts Hudgens Papers, 1925-1973 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
referencedIn Records, 1891-1955 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers, 1925-1972 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Century Company records New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company. Houghton Mifflin Company reader reports on manuscripts submitted for publication. 1882-1931. Houghton Library
referencedIn Guide to the Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Photographs, 1895-1967 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn John L. Spivak Papers TXRC93-A6., 1929-1948 Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Guide to the Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Photographs, 1895-1967 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn John Reed papers, 1903-1967. Houghton Library
creatorOf Penn, William, 1644-1718. Winslow, Foye/Elder collection, 1825-1941. Nantucket Hist Association
referencedIn Huntington, Catharine Sargent, 1886-1987. Papers, 1913-1987 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn The Henry E. Turlington Collection of Cyril Kay-Scott and Evelyn Scott Materials TXRC97-A6., 1881-1987, (bulk 1920-1957, 1983-1985) Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn New Yorker records New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Vorse, Mary Heaton, 1874-1966. The reminiscences of Mary H. Vorse. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Jessie Lloyd O'Connor Papers MS 254., 1850 - 1988 Sophia Smith Collection
referencedIn O'Connor, Jessie Lloyd, 1904-. Papers, 1850-1988. Smith College, Neilson Library
creatorOf Vorse, Mary Heaton, 1874-1966. Correspondence to Franklin Baldwin Wiley, ca. 1910. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn Eastman, Max Forrester, 1883-1969. Eastman mss. 1892-1968 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
creatorOf Vorse, Mary Heaton, 1874-1966. Reminiscences of Mary Heaton Vorse : oral history, 1957. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith CATHARINE SARGENT HUNTINGTON, 1886-1987 person
correspondedWith CATHARINE SARGENT HUNTINGTON, 1886-1987 person
correspondedWith Century Company corporateBody
associatedWith Columbia University. Oral History Research Office. corporateBody
associatedWith Consumers' League of Massachusetts. corporateBody
correspondedWith Dellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel, 1853-1935 person
associatedWith Eastman, Max, 1883-1969 person
associatedWith Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley person
associatedWith Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley. person
associatedWith Frank, Adelaide Schulkind. person
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Hudgens, Robert Watts, 1896-1973 person
associatedWith Huntington, Catharine Sargent, 1886-1987. person
associatedWith Industrial Workers of the World. corporateBody
correspondedWith New Yorker Magazine, Inc corporateBody
associatedWith O'Connor, Jessie Lloyd, 1904- person
correspondedWith Reed, John, 1887-1920 person
associatedWith Shaughnessey, Donald Francis, 1924- person
associatedWith Shaughnessy, Donald F., person
associatedWith Spivak, John L., 1897-1981 person
associatedWith Spivak, John Louis, 1897- . person
associatedWith Turlington, Henry person
associatedWith Turlington, Henry E., b. 1945, person
associatedWith Yaddo (Artist's colony) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
North Carolina--Marion
Tennessee--Elizabethton
Lawrence (Mass.)
Soviet Union
Subject
Anarchism
Journalists
Labor unions
Strikes and lockouts
Textile Workers' Strike, Gastonia, N.C., 1929
Women journalists
Women journalists
Working class
Occupation
Journalists
Activity

Person

Birth 1874-10-11

Death 1966

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