Felicia Buttz Clark

Felicia Buttz Clark (1862–1931) was an American writer of novels, short stories, and articles. For much of her life, she lived in Europe. Clark was affiliated with the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Early life and education

Felicia Buttz was born in New York City, July 8, 1862. Her parents were Henry Anson Buttz and Emily (Hoagland) Buttz. Her father served as president of the Drew Theological Seminary.

Clark was educated in private schools in Madison, New Jersey and Morristown, New Jersey.

Career

In 1883, she married Nathaniel Walling Clark (1859–1918), of Plattsburg, New York. Traveling widely, they left the U.S. for Germany on April 23, 1889, with Rev. Clark serving as professor at the Martin Mission Theological Institute in Frankfurt until 1893, when he was transferred to Italy. There, he served as President of the Methodist Episcopal Theological School in Rome. They lived in Rome for 20 years, and another three years elsewhere in Europe. In 1903, Dr. and Mrs. Clark traveled in Greece and Asia Minor, Dr. Clark serving as traveling secretary of the World's Christian Student Federation. With her long residence abroad, her knowledge of modern languages, and her broad culture in art and literature, Clark was selected as the national organizer and hostess for the 1926 Methodist Fellowship Tour in Europe.

Affiliated with the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), Clark served as editor of its Junior Missionary magazine.

She was the author of The Cripple of Nuremberg, 1900; The Sword of Garibaldi, 1905; The Jesuit, 1908; The Treasure of Reifenstein, 1913; The City of Mystery, 1914; Laughing Water, 1915; and Virgilia, 1917. She wrote serials and her short stories were published in secular and religious periodicals in the U.S. and England. Many of her works were translated into foreign languages such as Danish, German, Italian, and Swedish.