Ruth Painter Randall
Ruth Painter Randall was an American author and educator, born in 1892 in Salem, Virginia. Growing up in a close-knit family on a twelve-acre property, she was deeply influenced by her father, a literature professor, and the literary environment of her home. Randall pursued higher education, earning her bachelor's degree from Roanoke College in 1913 and a master's degree from Indiana University in 1914. She married James Randall, a professor and noted Abraham Lincoln scholar, in 1917, and shared his passion for Lincoln and his wife, Mary. Throughout her career, Randall authored several biographies about the couple and wrote a book on Lincoln for young audiences. She was active in various historical and literary organizations and received multiple honorary degrees for her contributions to history. In recognition of her achievements, she received awards including the DAR Award for Excellence in History. Her autobiography, published in 1968, reflects on her personal and professional life, highlighting her experiences and the influence of her marriage. Randall passed away in 1971, leaving a legacy as a prominent figure in Lincoln scholarship.
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Subject Terms
Ruth Painter Randall
- Born: November 1, 1892
- Birthplace: Salem, Virginia
- Died: January 22, 1971
Biography
Ruth Painter Randall was born in 1892 in Salem, Virginia, a picturesque valley community that she fondly described in her autobiography. Her childhood home was located on the family’s twelve acres of orchard, pasture, and gardens, and Randall spent an enjoyable childhood there along with her four older sisters and one older brother. Her father, Franklin V. N. Painter, was a professor at Roanoke College and the author of popular textbooks about English and American literature. During the winter, family members often gathered in the parents’ bedroom and read novels and plays together.
Randall was educated at home and then attended Roanoke College, completing one year of preparatory coursework and four years of work toward her bachelor’s degree, which she received in 1913. She earned her master’s degree in 1914 from Indiana University and then returned home, where her father introduced her to his friend, James Randall, a widower and professor at Roanoke College. The couple wed in the Roanoke College church in August, 1917. They lived in a small house owned by Ruth’s father before Jim’s career as a premier Abraham Lincoln scholar began to flourish; they then moved to Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, before settling at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Randall shared her husband’s interest in Lincoln and his wife, Mary, and she wrote biographies of the couple and a book about Lincoln for young adults.
Randall earned honorary advanced degrees from MacMurray College, Roanoke College, Bradley University, and Knox College and was a member of the Illinois Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission, the League of Women Voters, the National League of American Pen Women, the Society of Midland Authors, the Illinois State Historical Society, the Chicago Historical Society, and the University Club. She was inducted as an honorary member into the National Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission in 1959, and in 1961 she won the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Award for Excellence in History and the Woman of Achievement Award from the Champaign-Urbana Altrusa Club. Randall’s autobiography, I, Ruth, Autobiography of a Marriage: The Self-Told Story of the Woman Who Married the Great Lincoln Scholar, James G. Randall, and Through Her Interest in His Work Became a Lincoln Scholar Herself (1968), vividly recalled her happy childhood and marriage. She died in 1971.