Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 – January 18, 1966) was an American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Norris was a prolific writer who wrote 93 novels, many of which became best sellers. Her stories appeared frequently in the popular press of the day, including ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded '' Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904) ...

'', ''

McClure's ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism (investigative journ ...

'', '' Everybody's'', ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was 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 centur ...

'', and ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

''. Norris used her fiction to promote family and moralistic values, such as the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others.

Life and career

Kathleen Thompson Norris was born in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, on July 16, 1880. Her parents were Josephine (née Moroney) and James Alden Thompson. When she was 19 both her parents died. As the oldest sibling she became effectively the head of a large family and had to work. Initially, she found employment in a department store, which was soon followed by work in an accounting office and then the Mechanic's Institute Library. In 1905, she enrolled in a creative writing program at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

and began writing short stories. ''

The San Francisco Call ''The San Francisco Call'' was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called ''The San Francisco Call & Post'', the ''San Francisco Call-Bulleti ...

'', which had published a few of her stories, hired her to write a society column in September 1906. In the course of that work she met Charles Gilman Norris (whose late elder brother was the novelist

Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalism (literature), naturalist genre. His notable works include ''M ...

), and they soon fell in love. He moved to New York to be art editor of ''

''. After eight months of daily correspondence and some improvements in her family's financial situation, she joined him there and they were married in April 1909. She resumed writing short stories, which began to appear in newspapers and then magazines starting in 1910. Charles took on a lifelong role as Kathleen's literary agent, and also took care of many household management roles as she became increasingly successful as a writer. Shortly after becoming a new mother, she wrote her first novel, ''Mother''. It started as a short story in ''The American Magazine'' in 1911. A publisher asked her to expand it into a novelette, which became a national sensation and earned the praise of

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

for its celebration of large families. A devout

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, she wrote the book in part as a commentary against

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

, which was rapidly influencing women's attitudes about motherhood. Her 1914 novel ''Saturday's Child'' received a positive, lengthy review from

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells ( ; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American Realism (arts), realist novelist, literary critic, playwright, and diplomat, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ...

, who remarked on her sensitivity to class issues. Norris became involved in various social causes, including

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

, and organizations to benefit children and the poor. She is pictured at an

America First Committee The America First Committee (AFC) was an American isolationist pressure group against the United States' entry into World War II. Launched in September 1940, it surpassed 800,000 members in 450 chapters at its peak. The AFC principally supporte ...

rally in 1941 at Madison Square Garden giving what appears to be a

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

; there is controversy over whether she was giving such a salute. People reciting the pledge of allegiance sometimes made a gesture with an outstretched arm and the palm up, as opposed to the Nazi salute with the palm down. (More recent commenters sometimes call this gesture the "Bellamy salute", but according to the literary scholar

Sarah Churchwell Sarah Bartlett Churchwell (born May 27, 1970) is a professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. Her expertise is in 20th- and 21st-century American literatur ...

, the "Bellamy salute" refers to the language of the pledge rather than any gestures accompanying it.) Contemporary sources described Norris's salute as "closer to the Nazi salute" than to accepted methods of saluting the American flag. At this rally, which took place in May 1941, Norris is pictured with Charles A. Lindbergh and Senator

Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...

. Many of her novels were made into films, including ''

Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

'' (1924), ''

My Best Girl ''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award ...

'' (1927), ''

The Callahans and the Murphys ''The Callahans and the Murphys'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent comedy film directed by George Hill (director), George W. Hill. The film was based on a novel by Kathleen Norris, and was the first of several MGM films to star Marie Dressl ...

'' (1927), ''Passion Flower'' (1930), and ''Change of Heart'' (1934, based on the novel ''Manhattan Love Song''). Some of Norris's novels were adapted for a radio series, ''By Kathleen Norris'', making her "the first nationally famous writer to have her works brought to radio listeners as a daily serial program." The program, produced by

Phillips Lord Phillips Haynes Lord (July 13, 1902 – October 19, 1975) was an American radio program writer, creator, producer and narrator as well as a motion picture actor, best known for the '' Gang Busters'' radio program that was broadcast from 1935 to ...

, was broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

October 9, 1939 – September 26, 1941. Norris died January 18, 1966, in San Francisco at the home of her son Dr. Frank Norris. She was 85.

Family

In 1919 the family moved to a ranch in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains ( Mutsun Ohlone: Mak-sah-re-jah, "Sharp Ridged Mountain of the Eagle" or "People of the Eagle Mountain") are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States, constituting a part of the Pacific Coast R ...

near

Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, it had a population of 31,051 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saratoga is known for its wineries, restaurant ...

, adjacent to the

Villa Montalvo The Montalvo Arts Center is a non-profit center for the arts in Saratoga, California, United States. Open to the public, Montalvo comprises a cultural and arts center, a park, hiking trails and the historic Villa Montalvo, an Italian Mediterran ...

estate of James Duval Phelan. They later built a house in

Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

and spent summers at the ranch. Kathleen's sister Teresa, who had married

William Rose Benét William Rose Benét (February 2, 1886 – May 4, 1950) was an American poet, writer, and editor. He was the older brother of Stephen Vincent Benét. Early life and education He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Col. James Walker Benét ...

and bore three children, died in 1919. Kathleen fought for and eventually obtained guardianship of the two nieces and a nephew: Rosemary, Kathleen Anne and

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

Benét. Her granddaughter Kathleen Norris (1935–1967) was the second wife of

Prince Andrew Romanoff Prince Andrew Romanoff (born ''Andrei Andreievich Romanoff''; 21 January 1923 – 28 November 2021) was a Russian American artist and author. He was a grand-nephew of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II. He was a great-great-grandson in the male l ...

(1923-2021).

Selected bibliography

* ''Mother'' (1911; new edition, 1913) * ''The Rich Mrs. Burgoyne'' (1912) * ''Poor Dear Margaret Kirby'' (1913) * ''The Treasure'' (1914) * ''Saturday's Child'' (1914) * ''The Story Of Julia Page'' (1915) * ''The Heart of Rachael'' (1916) * ''Martie the Unconquered'' (1917) * ''Josselyn's Wife'' (1918) * ''Sisters'' (1919) * ''Harriet and the Piper'' (1920) * ''The Beloved Woman'' (1921) * ''Certain People of Importance'' (1922) * ''Lucretia Lombard'' (1922) * ''Little Ships'' (1925) * ''Hildegarde'' (1926) * ''The Sea Gull'' (1927) * ''The Foolish Virgin'' (1927) * ''Younger Sister'' (1928) * ''Home'' (1928) * ''The Love of Julie Borel'' (1930) * ''Second Hand Wife'' (1932) * ''Maiden Voyage'' (1934) * ''Beauty's Daughter'' (1935), adapted for the 1935 motion picture ''Navy Wife'' * ''Shining Windows'' (1935) * ''Bread into Roses'' (1936) * ''Secret Marriage'' (1936) * ''You Can't Have Everything'' (1937) * ''Over at the Crowleys'' (1941) * ''The Venables'' (1941) * ''Through A Glass Darkly'' (1955)

Filmography

*''The Heart of Rachael'', directed by

Howard Hickman Howard Close Hickman (February 9, 1880 – December 31, 1949) was an American actor, director and writer. He was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. Career In 1900, Hickman debu ...

(1918, based on the novel ''The Heart of Rachael'') *'' Josselyn's Wife'', directed by

(1919, based on the novel ''Josselyn's Wife'') *''

The Luck of Geraldine Laird ''The Luck of Geraldine Laird'' is a 1920 silent film drama directed by Edward Sloman and starring Bessie Barriscale. It was produced by Bessie Barriscale Productions and released through the Robertson Cole Distributing Corp. Plot As described ...

'', directed by

Edward Sloman Edward Sloman (19 July 1883, London - 29 September 1972, Woodland Hills, California) was an England, English silent film Film director, director, actor, screenwriter and radio broadcaster. He directed over 100 films and starred in over 30 fi ...

(1920, based on the novel ''The Luck of Geraldine Laird'') *''

Harriet and the Piper Harriet(t) may refer to: * Harriet (name), a female name ''(includes list of people with the name)'' Places * Harriet, Queensland, rural locality in Australia * Harriet, Arkansas, unincorporated community in the United States * Harriett, Texa ...

'', directed by

Bertram Bracken Bertram Bracken (August 10, 1879 – November 1, 1952) was an American silent screen actor, scenarist, and director who worked on at least sixty-five films between 1910 and 1932. Biography Bertram “Bert” Bracken was born in San Antonio, Tex ...

(1920, based on the novel ''Harriet and the Piper'') *''

Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby ''Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by William P.S. Earle and starring Elaine Hammerstein, Helen Lindroth and Warburton Gamble.Connelly p.397 It was produced by Selznick Pictures and shot at the company ...

'', directed by

William P. S. Earle William Pitt Striker Earle (December 28, 1882 – November 30, 1972) was an American director of the silent film era. He attended Columbia University and worked for a time as a photographer before breaking into the movie business by sneaking o ...

(1921, based on a story by Kathleen Norris) *''

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

'', directed by

Albert Capellani Albert Capellani (23 August 1874 – 26 September 1931) was a French film director and screenwriter of the silent film, silent era. He directed films between 1905 and 1922. One of his brothers was the actor-sculptor Paul Capellani, and anoth ...

(1922, based on the novel ''Sisters'') *''

Lucretia Lombard ''Lucretia Lombard'', also known as ''Flaming Passion'', is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Jack Conway and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Based upon the 1922 novel of the same name by Kathleen Norris, it stars Irene ...

'', directed by Jack Conway (1923, based on the novel ''Lucretia Lombard'') *'' Christine of the Hungry Heart'', directed by

George Archainbaud George Archainbaud (May 7, 1890 – February 20, 1959) was a French- American film and television director. Biography In the beginning of his career he worked on stage as an actor and manager. He came to the United States in January 1914, and ...

(1924, based on a story by Kathleen Norris) *''

'', directed by

Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when h ...

(1924, based on the novel ''Butterfly'') *'' Rose of the World'', directed by

Harry Beaumont Harry Beaumont (10 February 1888 – 22 December 1966) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He worked for a variety of production companies including 20th Century Fox, Fox, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn, Metro Pictur ...

(1925, based on the novel ''Rose of the World'') *'' Josselyn's Wife'', directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His obituary called him "a capable and versatile director willing to take on any ass ...

(1926, based on the novel ''Josselyn's Wife'') *''Mother'', directed by

James Leo Meehan James Leo Meehan (1891 – 1943) was an American film director and screenwriter.Munden p. 411 He married the daughter of writer Gene Stratton-Porter, and adapted several of his mother-in-law's novels for the screen. He directed ''Campus Sweethea ...

(1927, based on the novel ''Mother'') *''

'', directed by George Hill (1927, based on the novel ''The Callahans and the Murphys'') *''

'', directed by

Sam Taylor Samuel, Sam or Sammy Taylor (male first name) may refer to: Arts * Sam Taylor (director) (1895–1958), American film director and screenwriter * Samuel W. Taylor (1907–1997), American author * Samuel A. Taylor (1912–2000), playwright and sc ...

(1927, based on the novel ''My Best Girl'') *''

Passion Flower ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae. ''Passiflora'' species are widely cultivated for their striking flowers, fla ...

'', directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

(1930, based on the novel ''Passion Flower'') *''

Second Hand Wife ''Second Hand Wife'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film written and directed by Hamilton MacFadden. The film stars Sally Eilers, Helen Vinson, Ralph Bellamy, and Victor Jory. The film was released on January 8, 1933 by Fox Film Corporation ...

'', directed by

Hamilton MacFadden Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director. Early years MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mo ...

(1933, based on the novel ''Second Hand Wife'') *'' Walls of Gold'', directed by

Kenneth MacKenna Kenneth MacKenna (born Leo Mielziner Jr.; August 19, 1899 – January 15, 1962) was an American actor and film director. Family MacKenna was born as Leo Mielziner Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire, to portrait artist Leo Mielziner (December ...

(1933, based on the novel ''Walls of Gold'') *'' Change of Heart'', directed by

John G. Blystone John G. Blystone (December 2, 1892 – August 6, 1938) was an American film director. He directed 100 films between 1915 and 1938. He was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin and died in Los Angeles, California from a myocardial infarction, heart at ...

(1934, based on the novel ''Manhattan Love Song'') *'' Navy Wife'', directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

(1935, based on the novel ''Beauty's Daughter'')

References

External links

The Kathleen Thompson Norris Society websiteGuide to the Norris Family Papers
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

Kathleen Norris Obituary, ''The New York Times''Kathleen Norris Biography, The Literature Network
* *

Library of Congress photograph of Charles A. Lindbergh, Kathleen Norris and Senator Burton K. Wheeler

NYRB article on American Fascism

Electronic editions

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Kathleen 1880 births 1966 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Roman Catholics American anti-war activists American columnists America First Committee members American Roman Catholic writers American temperance activists American women columnists American women novelists Journalists from California Roman Catholic activists Suffragists from California University of California, Berkeley alumni Writers from San Francisco