Myra Kelly (1875–1910) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

schoolteacher and author.

Life

Kelly was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, she came to the United States with her father, a physician who established a practice on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

of Manhattan. She attended the

Horace Mann School Horace Mann School (also known as Horace Mann or HM) is an American private, independent college-preparatory school in the Bronx, founded in 1887. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from the New Yo ...

and

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

, graduating in 1899. Kelly taught elementary school at Public School 147 from 1899 to 1901. She produced three collections of stories based on her experiences as a teacher. Her character Constance Bailey teaches Irish and Russian Jewish immigrant children. A minor theme within her works is the changing character of the neighborhood and the displacement of Irish immigrant families. After the publishing of her "In Loco Parentis", US President

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 ...

wrote her a letter of appreciation. Kelly married Allan Macnaughton in 1905. Prior to her death, she also wrote the romance novels ''Rosnah'' and ''The Golden Season''. Kelly developed tuberculosis and died on March 30, 1910, in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

, England. She was 35 years old.

Works

*''Little Citizens, The Humours of School Life'' (1905) *''The Isle of Dreams'' (1907) *''Wards of Liberty'' (1907) *''Rosnah'' (1908) *''The Golden Season'' (1909) *''Little Aliens'' (1910)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Myra 1875 births 1910 deaths 20th-century American novelists Horace Mann School alumni Irish emigrants to the United States Teachers College, Columbia University alumni American expatriates in England American women novelists 20th-century American women writers Novelists from New York (state)