Grace MacGowan Cooke

Grace MacGowan Cooke (September 11, 1863 – June 24, 1944) was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer. She wrote short stories and novels, often collaborating with her sister, Alice MacGowan. Throughout her career, she wrote 23 novels, 75 short stories, and more than 30 poems.

Early years

She was born in Grand Rapids, Ohio, to John E. MacGowan and Malvina Johnson MacGowan; her sister, Alice MacGowan, also pursued a career as a writer. In 1865, the family relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the two girls received a combination of public school education and homeschooling. Their father, a Union Army colonel during the American Civil War, was an editor for the Chattanooga Times newspaper from 1872 to 1903.

She married William Benjamin Cooke on February 16, 1887, in Hamilton, Tennessee. They had two children, Helen (1867–1945) and Katharine "Kit" (1900–1971). Both pursued acting in local theater, and Helen married writer Harry Leon Wilson. Grace and William divorced in 1908.

Career

Both Cooke and her sister were school teachers, having started teaching in their teenage years. Following her marriage to Cooke, she assumed the role of bookkeeper for the printing shop, MacGowan & Cooke, which was co-owned by her father, brother, and husband. Cooke began her writing career as a journalist in Tennessee. In 1897, she became the first president of the Tennessee Woman's Press Club. Her debut novel, Mistress Joy, A Tale of Natchez in 1798, was published in 1901 and followed by a series of volumes. She collaborated with her sister on several of these.