Metta Victor ( Metta Victoria Fuller; March 2, 1831 – June 26, 1885), who used the

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 ...

Seeley Regester among others, was an American novelist, credited with authoring one of the first detective novels in the United States. She wrote more than 100 dime novels, pioneering the field.

Life

She was born in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

, the third of five children of Adonijah Fuller and Lucy (Williams) Fuller. The family moved to

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

in 1839, where she and her elder sister

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

(who also became a famous writer) attended a female seminary; they both published stories in local newspapers and, later, in the ''

Home Journal ''Town & Country'', formerly the ''Home Journal'' and ''The National Press'', is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States. History Early history The magazine ...

''. The sisters moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

together in 1848, where they continued their literary pursuits. Metta married editor and publishing pioneer Orville James Victor in 1856. Her sister Frances would later marry Victor's brother. Metta served as editor for the Beadle & Company monthly ''Home'' and for '' Cosmopolitan Art Journal'', and later anonymously published dime novels for her husband's series for Beadle. She died of cancer on June 26, 1885, in Ho-ho-kus, New Jersey, and was buried in Ridgewood's Valleau Cemetery.

Works

Her noteworthy works are ''Alice Wilde'' (1860), an early dime novel; ''Maum Guinea, and Her Plantation "Children"'' (1861), expressing

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

sentiments; ''The Dead Letter'' (1866), the first full-length American work of

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

; ''The Figure Eight'' (1869); ''A Bad Boy's Diary'' (1880); and ''The Blunders of a Bashful Man'' (1881). She also wrote under the names Corinne Cushman, Eleanor Lee Edwards, Metta Fuller, Walter T. Gray, Mrs. Orrin James, Rose Kennedy, Louis LeGrand, Mrs. Mark Peabody, The Singing Sybil, Mrs. Henry Thomas.

References

External links

*Foxwell, Elizabeth
"Metta Fuller Victor: A Sensational Life"
''Mystery Scene,'' no. 81 (2003). * * * * * Miranda Orso, Summer 2002

{{DEFAULTSORT:Victor, Metta 1831 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American novelists American crime fiction writers American women novelists Pulp fiction writers Novelists from New York City 19th-century American women writers Women crime fiction writers People from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey Dime novelists 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers American women magazine editors 19th-century American short story writers American women short story writers American detective fiction writers Writers from Bergen County, New Jersey 19th-century American poets American women poets