Hester A. Benedict (, Baldwin; after first marriage, Benedict; after second marriage, Dickinson; October 2, 1838 – December 28, 1921) was an American poet and writer. She had a literary reputation in the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

before her removal to California where she served as president of the

Pacific Coast Women's Press Association Pacific Coast Women's Press Association (PCWPA; September 27, 1890 - 1941) was a press organization for women located on the West Coast of the United States. Discussions were not permitted regarding politics, religion, or reform. The members of the ...

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. Dickinson's works included, ''Vesta'' (1872), ''Fagots'' (1895), and ''Songs En Route'' (1911). After her second marriage, she retained "Hester A. Benedict" as a literary name, and also used it as a

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

in her second book, but not for the third one.

Early life and education

Esther (

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, "Hester") A. Baldwin was born in

Streetsboro Streetsboro is a city in western Portage County, Ohio, United States. The population was 17,260 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. The city was formed from the former Streetsboro Township of the Connecticut Western Re ...

Portage County, Ohio Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,791. Located in Northeast Ohio, Portage County is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland–A ...

, October 2, 1838. Her parents were Harvey Baldwin (1796–1882) and Lucinda (Brown) Baldwin (1814–1898). Hester's siblings included Ellen, Isabella, and Wesley. She was an attentive reader, choosing many of the best authors, as well as current literature for her entertainment. She readily assimilated what she read, and made it her own. Her early poetical efforts were promising. Benedict was educated under private tutors and in Western Reserve Seminary.

Career

Benedict's first poem was published when she was seven years old. As a young woman, she was a contributor to the

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and

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magazines. On December 27, 1856, at

Portage, Ohio Portage is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 398 at the 2020 census. History Portage was platted in 1836. The village takes its name from the nearby Portage River. A post office called Portage has been in opera ...

, she married Harmon Benedict. This was soon followed by the birth of a daughter; the child died young. Thereafter, she resolved to devote her life to literature. Some of her first productions appeared, with commendation, in the village newspaper. She afterwards moved to New York, and became known as an acceptable and favorite contributor to many literary publications. At length, she applied herself to the production of her poem, "Vesta", which, along with other poems, was issued in book form (''Vesta'') in Philadelphia. The book was received favorably by the public. On May 30, 1877, in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, she married Col. Peter Tracy Dickinson, manager of the American Pipe Company of San Francisco. On June 1, news of their arrival in San Francisco via an overland train included mention that Mrs. Dickinson's ''

nom de plume A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

'' was "Hester, a Benedict". They made their home for many years in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipe ...

. In 1880, Col. and Mrs. Dickinson went to Japan, where they spent one year and were the guests of the Mikado. There, Col. Dickinson made a close study of the commercial affairs of Japan, while Benedict served as a correspondent from for the '' New York Mail''. The Dickinsons toured the world with General

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's party. Her acquaintance with people in literary circles, in the U.S. and abroad, was wide. She was a close friend of

Ina Coolbrith Ina Donna Coolbrith (born Josephine Donna Smith; March 10, 1841 – February 29, 1928) was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "Sweet Singer of California", sh ...

. Dickinson contributed voluminously to such papers as the ''Waverly'' under the name of Hester A. Benedict. She was a founder of the

California Writers Club The California Writers Club traces its founding to the San Francisco Bay Area literary movement in the early part of the 20th century. The informal gatherings of Jack London, George Sterling, and Herman Whitaker, along with others, eventually becam ...

, and for several terms, served on the board of directors and later, was elected to an honorary vice-presidency. For two years, she served as president of the Pacific Coast Women's Press Association. News of Dickinson's 1897 re-election was marred by a notice in the ''Chronicle'' (May 15, 1897) that "all is not harmony in the Pacific Coast Women's Press Association since the re-election of Mrs. Hester A. Dickinson of 1523 Willow street as its President". Within days, resolutions were unanimously adopted by the organization in support of Dickinson.

Personal life

For years, Dickinson was active in church and civic circles in Alameda. When her health failed two or three years before her death, Dickinson was placed in a sanitarium, where her death occurred December 28, 1921. Her ashes were consigned to the waters of the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

at a ceremony conducted October 24, 1926, by the

in accordance with her will.

Selected works

By Hester A. Benedict

* ''Vesta'' (1872)
Text
* ''Fagots'' (1895)
Text

By Hester Dickinson

* ''Songs En Route'' (1911)
Text

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict, Hester A. 1838 births 1921 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pacific Coast Women's Press Association American women poets Pseudonymous women writers American reporters and correspondents People from Alameda, California People from Portage County, Ohio