Louise Spieker Rankin (July 2, 1897 – November 21, 1951) was an American writer of children's literature, editor, and politician. Her debut children's novel, Daughter of the Mountains, was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1949.[1]

Louise Rankin
Born(1897-07-02)July 2, 1897
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Died(1951-11-21)November 21, 1951
Washington, D.C., USA
OccupationAuthor, editor, politician
NationalityAmerican
GenreChildren's literature

Biography

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Louise Spieker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1897. Her father, Edward Spieker, was a professor at Johns Hopkins University.[2]

Spieker attended Goucher College and Johns Hopkins University. She married Everett H. Rankin, an executive for the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company; the pair resided in India, Tibet, and Sri Lanka from 1933 to 1942.[2]

Daughter of the Mountains, inspired by an acquaintance Rankin met in the Himalayas, was published in 1948.[2] It received positive press from Kirkus Reviews,[3] won the award for books for children aged 8–12 from the Children's Book Festival sponsored by the New York Herald Tribune, and was named a Newbery Honor book in 1949.[2]

Rankin wrote one other book for children, The Gentling of Jonathan (1950), which was less positively received.[4] She also wrote a cookbook, An American Cook Book for India. Rankin additionally worked for Reader's Digest, and served as the state committeewoman from Tompkins County on the New York State Republican Committee.[2]

Rankin died in Washington, D.C., on November 21, 1951, after a lingering illness.[2]

Rankin's papers are held by the Cornell University library.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". American Library Association. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Louise Spieker Rankin". FindAGrave.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Daughter of the Mountains". Kirkus Reviews. March 1, 1948. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Gentling of Jonathan". Kirkus Reviews. October 1, 1950. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Louise Spieker Rankin papers, 1937-1952". Cornell University Library. Retrieved December 11, 2020.