Mary Abigail Dodge
Mary Abigail Dodge was an influential writer and feminist born in 1833 in Hamilton, Massachusetts. Growing up on a farm, she exhibited a strong interest in church life and education, attending various seminaries and eventually teaching at both Ipswich and Hartford High School. Discontent with the teaching profession's long hours and low pay, she transitioned to writing in 1860, contributing poetry and articles to notable publications such as National Era and Atlantic Monthly. Dodge was a staunch advocate for women's rights, famously questioning traditional marriage in her essay "Men and Women," which reflected her belief in female individualism, a principle she upheld by remaining unmarried throughout her life. Her literary career evolved to include children's literature after a disagreement with her publisher over royalties. In the 1870s, she became involved in political circles through her connection with House Speaker James G. Blaine, contributing to his autobiography and supporting various feminist causes. Dodge's life was marked by her advocacy for women's issues and her literary contributions until her death in 1896 in her hometown.
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Mary Abigail Dodge
Writer
- Born: March 31, 1833
- Birthplace: Hamilton, Massachusetts
- Died: April 17, 1896
- Place of death: Hamilton, Massachusetts
Biography
Mary Abigail Dodge was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts, in 1833. She grew up on a farm and early on showed a deep interest in church life. She was sent to a boarding school in Cambridge at the age of twelve and was admitted into the Ipswich Female Seminary a year later. After graduation in 1850, Dodge stayed on to teach at Ipswich and moved on to Hartford Female Seminary in 1854. She later taught at Hartford High School, but her disdain for the long hours and low wages led her to become a career writer by 1860.
In 1856, Dodge started sending poetry samples to the antislavery publication National Era in Washington, D.C., and when her unique style impressed the editor, she moved to Washington and worked as his governess while trying to establish herself as a writer. In addition to her governess job, Dodge contributed to numerous magazines including Independent, Country Living and Country Thinking, Summer Rest, and Atlantic Monthly. After the editor of National Era died, Dodge quit her governess job and returned to Hamilton in 1860 to pursue a full-time writing career.
As a staunch feminist, perhaps Dodge’s most outspoken work was her essay “Men and Women” in which she challenged the foundation of marriage. In her personal life, she adhered to her argument for female individualism over marriage contracts by refusing to marry. Her career was marked by frequent moves and marred by conflicts. After a split with her publisher, James T. Fields, over book royalties, Dodge became a children’s author, writing Red-Letter Days in Applethorpe, Child World, and Nursery Noonings.
She moved back to Washington to live with House Speaker James G. Blaine, the husband of Dodge’s first cousin, in the early 1870’s. With Blaine, Dodge moved into the political arena, helping him write his autobiography, Twenty Years in Congress, and associating with political dignitaries. Following her long relationship with Blaine, Dodge championed the plight of Florence Chandler Maybrick, an American woman accused of killing her husband, as well as other feminist causes. While writing a biography of Blaine, Dodge suffered a stroke and died in 1896 in her birthplace of Hamilton.