FRENCH, MISS ALICE
(Octave Thanet) A name which stands very near the top in the list of literary women not only of Iowa but of America is that of Octave Thanet, which is the pen name of Miss Alice French of Davenport, She was born in Andover. Mass., March 19, 1850, descended from a long line of honored men and women, representative of the best American ancestry. Her father was the Hon. George Henry French who was a prominent legislator of Massachusetts. She was educated at Abbott Academy in Andover and has traveled and studied all her life, making her a broadly educated woman. She is a member of the Colonial Dames of America, being the Historian of the National Society. She is a member of the Mayflower Club of Boston and of the Barnard National Arts Association of New York. Much of her life has been spent in the east, although she has always claimed Davenport as home. She has a residence at Clover Bend, Ark., where she spends a part of every year. She has received many honors, and much praise for her literary work, all of which is merited, and yet she has been wholly unspoiled. She is a sweet, gracious woman, loved by her friends and sincerely admired by all who know her. Among the best known of her books are "Knitters in Sun," ' ' Expatiation, " "An Adventure of Photography," Otto the Knight," "A Missionary Sheriff," "The Heart of Toil, '"A Book of True Lovers," "A Slave to Duty," "The Lion's Share," and "A Man of the Hour." SUSAN GLASPELL Davenport has been the home of many people of talent, particularly in a literary way. Society there is marked by the unusual cultivation of the men and women who live in that city. Among the literary women is Miss Susan Glaspel, who was born in Davenport, July 1, 1882. She is the daughter of Elmer S. and Alice Keating Glaspeli. She received her preparatory education in the public schools of Davenport. She was graduated from Drake University at Des Moines with the degree Ph. B. Following her graduation she took a post graduate course in the University of Chicago. For a number of years she lived in Des Moines and did newspaper work of a high order, on the staff of the Des Moines Capitol and News. Through several general assemblies she was State House and Legislative reporter. She has written articles and short stories for Harper's Monthly Magazine, the American, the Atlantic and other periodicals. She is the author of "The Glory of the Conquest" and of "The Visioning," both of which have been widely read. Miss Glaspeli is a woman of delightful personality, interested in society and in club life, although she is first of all devoted to the profession in which she has met with signal success. Her friends believe that the future holds for her still greater success as an author.
This bio was extracted from the The Blue Book of Iowa Women, which was edited an compiled by Winona Evans Reeves, published by the Press of Missouri Printing and Publishing Compnay, Mexico, MO, 1914, pg. 59