Katherine Smeed Cross (November 18, 1859 - September 11, 1943) was an American social leader.

Early life

Katherine (

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

, "Kate") Smeed was born near

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on November 18, 1859, the daughter of Colonel

Eben C. Smeed Eben Cedron Smeed (December 8, 1830 - August 24, 1892) was an American civil engineering, civil engineer who was best known for his work on railroads, particularly the United States Military Railroad (USMRR) in supporting Sherman's United States M ...

(1830-1892), a civil engineer with the Union Pacific Railroad, and Mary A. Smeed (1833-1876). In 1869, she moved with her parents to

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, where the next seven years were spent in school and studying in the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. In 1876, she returned to Philadelphia and devoted herself industriously to the study of music, art and the great exhibition.

Career

She was an efficient officer of nearly every art, musical and literary circle of Emporia and was a staunch church woman, a member of the Episcopal Church. Some of the finest classic musical entertainments given in Emporia were given under her direction, she herself taking leading parts in such operas as the ''Bohemian Girl'' and showing herself possessed of histrionic ability.

Personal life

In 1880, she returned to her

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

home and in that year, she married Charles Sumner Cross (1858-1898), a banker and business man of

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

, where in their home, "Elmwood," the Crosses, with their daughter, Mary Kathryn Cross Gourlay (1885-1980), lived and dispensed hospitality. They divorced in 1895 and Smeed moved to California. She died on September 11, 1943,

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, and is buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park,

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Kate Smeed 1859 births 1943 deaths American social workers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century People from Philadelphia Social leaders