Peattie, Elia Wilkinson
January 15, 1862 - 1935
Place of Birth: Kalamazoo, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Chicago, IL
Biography:
Elia Wilkinson Peattie was born to Amanda and Frederick Wilkinson in Kalamazoo, MI. The Wilkinsons moved to Chicago in 1871, where Peattie met and married her husband, Robert, in 1883. After being hired by The Chicago Tribune as their first female reporter, Peattie traveled widely, including to Omaha, Nebraska where Peattie and her husband relocated to in 1888, both taking jobs at the Omaha World – Herald. While Robert served as managing editor, Peattie became the Herald’s first female reporter and continued to travel, incorporating some of her experiences into her stories. Peattie published her first book, The Story of America, in 1889, and continued to write poems, short stories, and essays that ranged from romance on the frontiers to ghost stories for children. In addition to writing, Peattie was an advent feminist and involved herself in activities promoting women’s rights, included founding the Omaha Woman’s Club. Due to her husband’s frequent illness, Peattie sometimes found herself the sole supporter of her family of four children, and as a result produced a plethora of writing (once writing 100 short stories in 100 days for the Chicago Tribune) that she felt compromised her quality. In 1896 Peattie and her family moved back to Chicago where Peattie worked as a litereary critic The Chicago Tribune until 1917. During her lifetime, her work appeared in many journals, including Atlantic, Century, and Harper’s, and many of her stories were published in anthologies (like The Mountain Woman), newspapers, or unindexed journals like The Youth’s Companion. Peattie died in 1935 in Wallingford, Vermont.
Selected Works:
- The Shape of Fear: and Other Ghostly Tales (1899)
- The Beleaguered Forest (1901)
- Poems You Ought to Know (1903)
- Edda and the Oak Rand (1911)
- Lotta Embury’s Career (1915)
- The Wander Weed (1923)
Critical Reception
Peattie was a well-known feminist and writer, paving the way for young women to enter the field of journalism and promoting equal rights, as well as entertaining audiences with her short stories and poems. She lectured widely, and in 1893 read three papers at the World’s Fair. A year later, Peattie attended the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs in Philadelphia and shared stage with Susan B. Anthony.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Peattie’s lack of hesitation in recording the vices of towns when reporting (including prostitution, racism, and poverty), point to her impovershed childhood in Kalamazoo, MI.