Ednah Dow (Littlehale) Cheney Biography

Dictionary of Literary Biography on Ednah Dow (Littlehale) Cheney

Ednah Dow (Littlehale) Cheney was an American abolitionist, woman suffragist, reformer, philanthropist, Transcendentalist, and author. She declined to call herself an author, however, labeling herself "only a representative woman" for her time. She was the consummate renaissance woman, who wrote essays, biographies, memoirs, stories for children, and several volumes of poetry. In 1879, when Bronson Alcott's School of Philosophy was founded, Cheney became the only woman teacher. The school was superseded by the Concord School of Philosophy, where Cheney was invited to speak regularly until 1888, usually on some aspect of art or literature. Her lectures were often quoted in the Boston newspapers. She also lectured on horticulture for women before the Massachusetts State Agricultural Society. Known for her dignified and serious demeanor, she preached at various times and wrote several hymns as well. Even after the untimely losses of her husband and daughter, she never lost her idealism, as evidenced by her writing and her public works.

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