Ruth McEnery Stuart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 21, 1849 Marksville, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | May 6, 1917 (aged 67) New York City |
| Resting place | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mary Routh McEnery Stuart |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Sonny (1896) |
| Spouse | Alfred Oden Stuart |
Ruth McEnery Stuart (1849–1917) was an American author.
She was born Mary Routh McEnery Stuart, child of James and Mary Routh (Stirling) McEnery in Marksville, Louisiana.[1][2] (She changed the spelling of her name to "Ruth" after she began her career in literature.) Stuart's true date of birth is not known with certainty. In addition to the date shown here in 1849, Stuart's date of birth is also shown as 19 February 1852 on her marriage certificate.[1] When she was three, Stuart moved to New Orleans, Louisiana.[2] Stuart taught school there until she married Arkansas farmer Alfred Oden Stuart on 6 August 1879.[2] Alfred Oden Stuart was a widower with eleven children;[1] he died in 1883 and she returned to New Orleans.[2] Ruth and Alfred Oden Stuart had one son, but he died in 1904[2] or 1905.[3]
Stuart was born to a wealthy and politically powerful family; one biographer writes that "it has been said that the Rouths and the McEnerys owned more slaves than any other two families in the United States."[4]
She was the first cousin of John McEnery, who claimed to have been elected governor of Louisiana in 1872 — massive voter fraud on his behalf led to his "win" being thrown out — and Samuel D. McEnery, who served as Louisiana governor from 1881 to 1888 and as a U.S. senator from 1897 to 1910.[4] She was also related to Louisiana governors Isaac Johnson and Robert Wickliffe; another cousin was the state's first lady as the wife of Murphy J. Foster.[4]
Stuart first published in February 1888 in the New Princeton Review. She sold a second story to Harpers New Monthly Magazine shortly thereafter; in the early 1890s she moved to New York City.[1] Stuart was active in her literary career from 1888 until 1917, producing some 75 works.[1] Between 1891 and 1897 she produced "20 books, short stories, sketches, and reprinted verses she had originally published in magazines".[2] She was known not just for her writing, but also for oral performances of her work.[2] Her most famous work is said to be Sonny (1896).[2] She was also occasionally a sub-editor at Harpers.[2]
Stuart has been characterized as belonging to the school of "American local color writing that emphasizes regional characteristics in landscape, way of life, and language."[1] Stuart's treatment of blacks forms a significant portion of her corpus and, if potentially troublesome today, "contemporary critics acclaimed her as providing an authentic representation of African Americans."[1] For example, she is believed to have transcribed a black spiritual song now known as "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow." Her work is said to be of the same school as Kate Chopin.
Stuart's work was appreciated in England. She became a member of the Lyceum Club there in 1904. In 1915 she was granted an honorary Litt.D. in 1915 by [Tulane University].[1] Also in 1915 a literary club, Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan, was founded and named in her honor.[3]
Stuart died in New York City in 1917 and was buried in New Orleans.[1]
