Frances Sanger Mossiker (April 9, 1906 – May 9, 1985) was an American writer best known for her historical novels. Her works include ''Pocahontas: The Life and the Legend'', ''The Queen's Necklace'', and ''Madame de Sevigne''. Mossiker did not have her writing published until the age of fifty five.

Personal life

Frances Mossiker was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

on April 9, 1906. She attended the

Hockaday School The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day school for girls located in Dallas, Texas, United States. The boarding school was for girls in grades 8–12 and the day school is from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. The ...

. She was then a student at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

but not allowed to continue as a student after eloping with her first husband, Frank Beaston, at sixteen. She then went to

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

in New York, was

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

in her junior year and graduated in 1927. She also studied at the Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, becoming fluent in French. Mossiker's first marriage lasted until 1929 and in October 1935 she remarried to Jake Mossiker. She eventually earned a Doctorate of Letters from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

in 1972. Mossiker lived in Dallas most of her life but spent much of her time traveling to Paris,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She remained in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

until her death on May 9, 1985."Frances Sanger Mossiker Writers Study Room"
Dallas Public Library She did not have any children.

Career

Mossiker began her career not as a writer but as a book reviewer for the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' in 1933. Her reviews of books were done on her own segment on KGKO Fort Worth, "Woman's World". She also did her book reviews for the ''Dallas Morning News''. Aat the age of fifty five she began to write her own novels. Mossiker focused on historical fiction with a specialty in 17th and 18th century France. Mossiker often traveled to do research on her books. In her lifetime Mossiker produced five novels.

Bibliography

*''The Queen's Necklace'', 1961 *''Napoleon and Josephine'', 1965 *''The Affair of the Poisons'', 1969 *''More Than a Queen: The Story of Josephine Bonaparte,'' 1971 *''Pocahontas: The Life and the Legend'', 1976 *''Madame de Sevigne: A Life and Letters'', 1983

References

External links

*
Frances Mossiker papers
at the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, ar ...

, Smith College Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Mossiker, Frances Sanger 1906 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American novelists American historical novelists Barnard College alumni Novelists from Texas The Dallas Morning News people 20th-century American women writers American women historical novelists Hockaday School alumni American expatriates in France Smith College alumni University of Paris alumni