Susan Fenimore Cooper
Susan Fenimore Cooper was an American writer and the daughter of noted author James Fenimore Cooper. Born in a literary household, she was encouraged to pursue her writing from a young age. After completing her education in both New York City and Europe, she returned to Cooperstown in 1836, where she began her literary career. Her first novel, *Elinor Wylls: Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge*, was published in 1846, but she is best known for her nature writing, particularly her widely acclaimed work *Rural Hours*, which drew inspiration from her personal journals.
In addition to her literary contributions, Cooper engaged in social issues, famously taking a stance against women's suffrage in her tract "Female Suffrage: A Letter to the Christian Women of America," although she supported women's education and equal pay. Beyond writing, she was actively involved in charitable initiatives, founding the Cooperstown Thanksgiving Hospital in 1865 and the Orphan House of the Holy Savior in 1873, which grew significantly under her management. Susan Fenimore Cooper's life exemplifies a blend of literary achievement and social commitment, reflecting the complexities of her time.
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Susan Fenimore Cooper
- Born: April 17, 1813
- Birthplace: New York
- Died: 1894
Biography
Susan Fenimore Cooper, named for her mother, was the daughter of famed writer James Fenimore Cooper, who encouraged and nurtured his daughter’s literary talents. When Susan was a small child, the family moved from Cooperstown to New York City, and she attended private schools in the city until 1826, then continuing with private schooling in Europe until 1833. The family returned to Cooperstown in 1836, and Susan began writing, publishing her first novel Elinor Wylls: Or, The Young Folk of Longbridge in 1846. She gained notoriety for her essays, particularly those on nature. Her nature writing in Rural Hours, which she developed from her Cooperstown journals, achieved great popularity, and revised editions were published in 1868 and 1887.
Additionally, Cooper released in 1861 Pages and Pictures, From the Writings of James Fenimore Cooper and composed the introductory essays to his novels in the household editions of the works. She is also known for the surprising stance she took in her tract “Female Suffrage: A Letter to the Christian Women of America.” For religious and academic reasons, she actually opposed giving women the right to vote, even while still advocating higher education and equal wages for women.
Cooper invested herself in charitable endeavors when not writing, and among the organizations she founded were the Cooperstown Thanksgiving Hospital, established in 1865, and the Orphan House of the Holy Savior, founded in 1873. When the Orphan House first opened, it provided shelter and education for only five children, but within eight years, with Cooper overseeing the operation, the program had flourished and outgrown its original space. She began soliciting funds to build a larger structure, one that would accommodate as many as one hundred children.