Dorothy Elmhirst Straight
(born May 25, 1958) is an American author who wrote ''
How the World Began'' in 1962 at the age of 4 for her grandmother,
Dorothy Payne Whitney, making her among the youngest published authors in history.
Early life
Dorothy Straight was born on May 25, 1958, in Washington, D.C. She is the daughter of
Michael Whitney Straight (1916–2004) and Belinda Booth Crompton (1920–2015).
Her siblings include David Straight, Michael Straight Jr., Susan Straight, and Dinah Straight.
Straight was named after her paternal grandmother,
Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887–1968), the daughter of
William Collins Whitney, the U.S.
Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
during the
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
administration, and Flora Payne, the daughter of Senator
Henry B. Payne of
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
and sister of Col.
Oliver Hazard Payne. Straight's paternal grandfather was
Willard Dickerman Straight (1880–1918), the son of
Henry Harrison Straight (1846–1886). After her grandfather died of
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
during the
1918 pandemic, while serving with the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
,
[MAJ. W.D. STRAIGHT IS DEAD IN PARIS - Financier and Diplomat Victim of Pneumonia While on War Mission with Col. House. BEGAN LIFE AS A POOR BOY Son of Missionary to Japan and China, He Won International Fame—Tributes Here. Chosen by E.H. Harriman Associated With J.P. Morgan & Co.](_blank)
- ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' December 2, 1918; accessed Dec 6, 2015 her grandmother married
Leonard Knight Elmhirst (1893–1974). Her father's siblings included
Whitney Willard Straight and
Beatrice Whitney Straight, an Academy Award winning actress.
Her maternal grandmother, Lillian Crompton Tobey,
was the widow of
U.S. Senator Charles Tobey (1880–1953).
Career
In 1962, Straight, in response to her mother's question of "Who made the world?", wrote and drew her response all in one evening.
Her parents loved it so much that they sent it to
Pantheon Books which published it in 1964, making her the youngest published author.
''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' praised her work as a child, writing:
Her art work is in the mainstream of the Kindergarten approach to paint and paper -- totally refreshing use of color and a wild approximation of shape. Her concept of God's activities during the Creation are nothing if not complete -- after inventing the jungle and its wild animals, he went on to pins and thread, birds and bees. The importance children place on the familiar and the furniture of their surroundings comes through in Dorothy's words and pictures.
See also
*
Whitney family
The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from non-Norman English immigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elm ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight, Dorothy
1958 births
Whitney family
American child writers
Living people
Writers from Washington, D.C.
American women writers