Ella Giles Ruddy
Ella Giles Ruddy | |
|---|---|
University of Wisconsin | |
| Notable works | Bachelor Ben, Out From the Shadows, Maiden Rachel, Flowers of the Spirit |
Ella Giles Ruddy (
Early years and education
Ella Augusta Giles was born in Dunkirk, Wisconsin, February 2, 1851.[3] She was the daughter of Hiram Horatio Giles, for twenty years a member of the Wisconsin State Board of Charities. He was once president of the National Conference of Charities. From him, Giles inherited a philanthropic spirit, which was visible in her writings.[6] Her mother's maiden name was Rebecca S. Watson.[4] From the maternal side, Giles inherited a love of art and literature.[1]
Ruddy early showed musical talent. Her fine voice was carefully cultivated by
Career
She was quite distinguished as an oratorio and church singer when her health failed, and she was compelled to abandon what promised to be a successful career in music. During the isolation illness rendered necessary she wrote her first romance, Bachelor Ben (Chicago, 1875).[7] It had a very wide sale, reaching the third edition in a few months and making its young author exceedingly popular throughout the Northwest. Her stories Out From the Shadows (1876)[7] and Maiden Rachel (1879)[7] followed with the same publishers. Meanwhile, Ruddy received many calls for lectures and achieved success in that field. In 1879, she became librarian of the public library in Madison, Wisconsin, and held the position for five years, doing at the same time much literary work. She resigned after her mother's death, in 1884. so as to devote herself to the care of her father's home.
Her first verses then began to appear and won an immediate favor. She published one volume of poems entitled Flowers of the Spirit (Chicago, 1891). Her winters were always passed in the South, and she wrote many newspaper letters from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and various parts of the South. She made a study of Scandinavian literature and was known for her scholarly sketches of Swedish and Norwegian writers. These sketches were translated into Swedish and Norwegian by different authors. She wrote many valuable articles on prison reform and ethical subjects, and belonged to the Woman's Congress committee on journalism.[1]
Ruddy's letters, poems and sketches appeared in
She served on the staff of the Chicago Times for three years, still keeping her home on Lake Monona in Madison. She was the first woman to read a paper before the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters.[1] In the mid-1870s, she served as editor of the Milwaukee Magazine, which was renamed as the Midland.[9]
Ruddy's father was president of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, and she herself was a delegate to such conferences, appointed by the governors in Wisconsin.[4]
Personal life
As Ella A. Giles, she read papers before the Prison Congress and the Illinois Social Science Association.
In Los Angeles, in 1896, she married George Drake Ruddy.[7] She was a founder of philanthropic clubs in Los Angeles. She favored woman suffrage; and was the first president of the Los Angeles Political Equality League, as well as the president of the Los Angeles Equal Suffrage Association, and the Southern California Woman's Press Club.[4] In 1902, Ruddy became the first president of the California Badger Club, Los Angeles District.[11][10] She was a member of the Friday Morning Club, the Ebeil Club (Los Angeles), Los Angeles Women's City Club, and the Severance Club.[4]
Ruddy died June 26, 1917,[12] and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, in Madison, Wisconsin.[13]
Selected works
- Bachelor Ben, 1875
- Out from the shadows ; or, Trial and triumph, 1876
- Maiden Rachel, 1879
- Little blue shoes. The shoes of blue., 1885
- An international tea-party, or, Anything to get votes : a dramatic dialogue, 1886
- Flowers of the spirit, 1891
- Club etiquette : a conversation between a club woman and a non-member who answer the calling, 1902
- The Mother of Clubs, by Caroline M. Seymour Severance; Ella Giles Ruddy, editor, 1906
- The story of a literary career, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, with description of Mrs. Wilcox's Home and Life by Ella Giles Ruddy, 1905
- Around the Year with Ella Wheeler Wilcox, compiled by Ella Giles Ruddy , 1904
- Lace o'me life, 1916
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 320.
- ^ Adams 1897, p. 146.
- ^ a b Herringshaw 1904, p. 401.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leonard 1914, p. 705.
- ^ Capital Publishing Company 1902, p. 73.
- ^ Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 319.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Library 1893, p. 102.
- ^ Dane County Historical Society 1877, p. 165.
- ^ a b Ruddy 1902, p. 1.
- ^ Hoag & Irving 1913, p. 630.
- ^ "Madison women who have made state history". Wisconsin Historical Society. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ Historic Madison, Inc 2002, p. 553.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Adams, Oscar Fay (1897). A Dictionary of American Authors (Public domain ed.). Houghton, Mifflin. p. 146.- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Capital Publishing Company (1902). The Capital. Vol. 15–17 (Public domain ed.). Capital Publishing Company.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Dane County Historical Society (1877). Madison, Dane County and Surrounding Towns: Being a History and Guide to Places of Scenic Beauty and Historical Note ... Early Intercourse of the Settlers with the Indians ... with a Complete List of County Supervisors and Officers, and Legislative Members... (Public domain ed.). Dane County Historical Society.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Herringshaw, Thomas William (1904). Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century: Accurate and Succinct Biographies of Famous Men and Women in All Walks of Life who are Or Have Been the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States Since Its Formation ... (Public domain ed.). American Publishers' Association.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Hoag & Irving (1913). Our Society Blue Book (Public domain ed.). Hoag & Irving.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Leonard, John W. (1914). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915 (Public domain ed.). American commonwealth Company. p. 705.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Ruddy, Ella Giles (1902). Club Etiquette: A Conversation Between a Club Woman and a Non-member who Answer the Calling Question Over the Tea Cups; with a Club Creed (Public domain ed.). Out West Company.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Library (1893). Bibliography of Wisconsin Authors: Being a List of Books and Other Publications Written by Wisconsin Authors, in the Library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (Public domain ed.). Democrat Printing Company, state printers. p. 102.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the ISBN 9780722217139.
Bibliography
- Historic Madison, Inc (2002). Biographical guide to Forest Hill Cemetery: the ordinary and famous women and men who shaped Madison and the world. Historic Madison, Inc.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
