Mary Alsop King Waddington (April 28, 1833 – June 30, 1923) was an American
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. She particularly wrote about her life as the wife of a French
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
.
Early life
Mary was born in New York City, New York on April 28, 1833 the daughter of
Charles King (1789–1867),
an American academic, politician, newspaper editor and the ninth president of
Columbia College (now
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
) and his second wife,
Henrietta Liston Low (1799–1882).
Her paternal grandfather was U.S. Senator
Rufus King
Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...
(1755–1827), the
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
candidate for both
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
(
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic, having the only successful slave revolt ever.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* Februa ...
and
1808) and
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
(
1816
This year was known as the ''Year Without a Summer'', because of low temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly the result of the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815, causing severe global cooling, catastrophic in s ...
). Her maternal grandfather was
Nicholas Low
Nicholas Low (March 30, 1739 – November 15, 1826) was an American merchant and developer from New York City. He developed properties in upstate New York, including Lowville (in Lewis County) which was named for him.
Early life
Nicholas ...
(1739–1826), a New York merchant and developer.
Career
Mary moved to France with her family in 1871, where she met her eventual husband.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, she helped raise funds for soldiers and refugees.
Mary was the author of ''Letter of a Diplomat's wife'' (1902),
''Italian letters of a Diplomat's wife'' (1904), ''Chateau and Country Life in France'' (1909), and ''My First Years as a Frenchwoman'' (1914).
She also wrote magazine articles, including a paper on ''International Marriages'' in ''
Scribner's Magazine
''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...
'' in October 1907.
Personal life
In 1874, she married
William Henry Waddington
William Henry Waddington (11 December 182613 January 1894) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister in 1879, and as an Ambassador of France.
Early life and education
Waddington was born at the Château of Saint-Rémy in Eure-et-Loi ...
(1826–1894) in Paris. Waddington was a French statesman who became the
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers.
The prime minister ...
in 1879, and later
French Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1883 to 1893.
He was born at
Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre
Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre (, literally ''Saint-Rémy on Avre'') is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department
The following is a list of the 365 communes of the Eure- ...
in Normandy and was the son of Thomas Waddington, a wealthy cotton manufacturer, and Janet Mackintosh Colin Chisholm. His parents were both naturalized citizens of France, born in England. He was the brother of
Richard Waddington
Richard Waddington (22 May 1838 – 26 June 1913)
"Results Summary: Subject=Seven Years' War, 1756–1763" (list
related books), National Library of Canada, 1997, webpage:
LibCanada-search-7YrsWar
was a French Member of Parliament, parl ...
, a French legislator and historian, and cousin of
Charles Waddington, a French philosopher. They were the parents of one son, Francis Richard Waddington, who married Charlotte Sallandrouze de Lamornaix (b. 1882), the daughter of
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Jean-Charles-Alexandre Sallandrouze de Lamornaix and granddaughter of
Charles Sallandrouze de Lamornaix, on January 18, 1903 in Paris.
She died on June 30, 1923 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 ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
References
;Notes
;Sources
Biography of her, from the Introduction to a collection of her letters
*
External links
*
A play based on her lettersExcerpt from Mary's visit to Bagnoles de l'Orne, Normandy, with photos and images*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waddington, Mary
1833 births
1923 deaths
Gracie-King family
American memoirists
American women memoirists
American biographers
American emigrants to France