Ruth Comfort Mitchell Young (July 21, 1882 – February 18, 1954) was an American writer and playwright, best known for her novel, Of Human Kindness. She wrote under her maiden name Ruth Comfort Mitchell, as well as her married name, Mrs. Sanborn Young. She was the wife of California State Senator Sanborn Young. Several of her stories were made into films.
Early life and education
Mitchell was born in San Francisco, California, July 21, 1882. Born to wealth, her father being a successful hotelier, she spent summers in the town of Los Gatos, where her parents and grandparents had summer homes. Educated at mostly at home, she took some schooling at a school then known as the Irving Institute.
Her first poem was published in the Los Gatos Mail, when she was only 14, launching her literary career. She travelled widely as a young woman, including 18 months in Europe, along with long trips in Mexico and Canada.
In 1914, literary friends in San Francisco introduced her to Sanborn Young, who had recently sold his grain business and was traveling. The couple were married in October 1914 in the Grand Canyon and moved to New York City, where Ruth continued her literary pursuits, and he studied photography.
Career
Mitchell enjoyed a long career as a writer; authoring 16 novels, along with poems, short stories, and one-act plays. New York Times reviews were positive about her works, regarding them as "light fiction" and "as romantic as possible."
Her short stories appeared in Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion and she openly aimed for a female audience. One of her plays, The Sweetmeat Game (1916) was set in San Francisco's Chinatown and inspired her to design her home, known as the Yung See San Fong House, in a Chinese style. Today the house is protected under the Historic American Buildings Survey.
