Edith Louise Wire (July 1899 – June 26, 1973) was an American composer, writer, and pianist with a strong interest in American history. She was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, Utah, and lived in her childhood home her entire life, with her brother

Lester Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wisco ...

until his death in 1958. Wire studied at the Utah Conservatory of Music and with Dr.

Georg Liebling Georg Liebling (22 January 1865–7 February 1946) was a German pianist and composer. Part of the Liebling family of musicians, he had an active international career as a concert pianist and accompanist from the 1880s into the 1920s. He also work ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, California. As a pianist, she made several concert appearances in Los Angeles for large audiences and played on local radio stations as well. Wire founded the Salt Lake City/ Matthais Farnsworth chapter of the Daughters of American Colonists in 1937 and served as honorary national vice president. She was president of the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century (Escalante chapter) in 1949, and president of the Utah State Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America in 1963. She attempted to turn her family home into a museum honoring her brother Lester's traffic light invention, but funds ran out after her death. The Utah State Department of Transportation used the remaining assets of Edith's estate to create a different memorial for her brother: the Lester Farnsworth Wire Memorial Library in the new Department of Transportation building at 4501 South 2700 West in Salt Lake City. Wire wrote two books as well as songs and music for piano. Her works include:

Books

*''Lester F. Wire: Savior of the Highways'' (1973) *''The Enchanted Island or The Adventures of Miss Sassyfras'' (1939)

Piano

*''Caprice'' *''Dusk in My Garden'' *''Figurine Coquette'' *''The Lotus Blossom''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wire, Edith American women composers American composers 1899 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people People from Salt Lake City American writers