Clara Ingram Judson (May 4, 1879 – May 24, 1960) was an American writer who wrote over 70

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

, primarily nonfiction including several biographies of

American presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government an ...

. In 1960, she won the second

Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal The Children's Literature Legacy Award (known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal until 2018) is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers or illustrat ...

from the professional children's librarians, although she died before she could receive it. The award recognizes a living author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made "a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children".

Life

She was born on May 4, 1879, in

Logansport, Indiana Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo. H ...

, and married James McIntosh Judson in 1901. Her first book was ''Flower Fairies'', published in 1915. She wrote 19 volumes in the Mary Jane series, between 1918 and 1939. She was a runner-up for the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

three times, in 1951 for ''

Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People '' Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People '' by Clara Ingram Judson Clara Ingram Judson (May 4, 1879 – May 24, 1960) was an American writer who wrote over 70 children's books, primarily nonfiction including several biographies of American pre ...

'', in 1954 for ''

Theodore Roosevelt, Fighting Patriot '' Theodore Roosevelt, Fighting Patriot '' is a children's book by Clara Ingram Judson, about Theodore Roosevelt. References

1953 children's books Children's history books about the United States American children's books Books abo ...

'', both about US presidents; and in 1957 for ''Mr. Justice Holmes'', about

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist and legal scholar who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932.Holmes was Acting Chief Justice of the U ...

Judson served as the 15th president of the Illinois Woman's Press Association from June 1923 until June 1925. She wrote pieces that appeared in ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

'', ''Child Life'', ''The American'', and ''The American Legion Weekly''. Her

homemaking Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a house ...

economics features over radio station

WLS WLS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * WLS (AM), a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, US * WLS-FM, a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, US * WLS-TV, a television station in Chicago, Illinois, US * DWLS, a radio station in Metro Manila ...

in Chicago debuted in 1928, making her one of the first women "on the air"."Meet the Homemakers' Hour Folks"
''1930 WLS Family Album'', page 14. She died on May 24, 1960, in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, Downtown Chicago, ...

, shortly before she would have received the Wilder Medal. That year she also received the inaugural

Clara Ingram Judson Award The Clara Ingram Judson Award (officially: Clara Ingram Judson Memorial Award) is given annually to the most creative children's writing in the Midwest United States since 1960 by the Society of Midland Authors. It was named after Clara Ingram J ...

from the Society of Midland Authors, recognizing the most creative writing for children in the Midwest United States.

Awards

* 1960,

Selected works

* ''Flower fairies'', illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright (Chicago: Rand McNally, 1915) * ''Good-night stories'', illus. Clara Powers Wilson (Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1916) * ''Billy Robin and his neighbors'', illus. Warner Carr (Rand McNally, 1917) * ''Mary Jane's Kindergarten'', illus. Frances White (Grosset & Dunlap, 1918)"Mary Jane's Kindergarten," ''Goodreads'', https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17339950-mary-jane-s-kindergarten * ''The Junior Cook Book'' (New York, Barse & Hopkins, 1920) * ''Mary Jane in Canada'', illus. Charles L. Wrenn (NY: Barse & Hopkins, 1924) * ''Mary Jane's summer fun'', ill. Wrenn (Barse, 1925) * ''Virginia Lee'', ill. Wrenn (Barse, 1926) * ''Mary Jane in Italy'', illus. Marie Schubert (NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1933) * ''Mary Jane in Spain'', ill. Schubert (Grosset, 1937)

References

External links

* * * * https://web.archive.org/web/20060603164055/http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9327809 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Judson, Clara Ingram 1879 births 1960 deaths American children's writers American historical novelists Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal winners Newbery Honor winners People from Logansport, Indiana Radio pioneers American women novelists Women historical novelists