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Title
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Warren, Mercy Otis (1728-1814)
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birthday
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1728-09-14
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Birthplace
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Barnstable, MA
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Death Date
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1814-10-19
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Occupation
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Author
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Biographical Text
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Mercy Otis Warren was an author and political activist. Warren was born on September 14, 1728 as the third of thirteen children, and first daughter in the family. Though she received no formal education, Warren studied alongside her brothers in their preparation for college. Her father supported her educational endeavors, an unpopular stance for the 18th century. Warren held a strong social circle of likeminded individuals. She became a correspondent and advisor to political leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and John Adams, who later became her literary mentor. The Warren home held many patriot debates and meetings. Warren's husband was on the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence and served as the Continental Army paymaster. This gave Warren a more privileged place in society, and allowed her to partake in Revolutionary gatherings. Warren wrote many political plays during the 1770s, with her first, "The Adulateur" releasing as a major success. In 1788 she published "Observations on the New Constitution," in opposition of its ratification, calling for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. She wrote this under the pseudonym "A Columbian Patriot" and was not identified as the true author until many years laters. The first work to be published under Warren's name was "Poems, Dramatic and Miscellaneous," in 1790. She finished her literary career in 1805 with a historical trilogy.
Warren married James Warren on November 14, 1754. Together they had five sons, James, Winslow, Charles, Henry, and George. Warren passed on October 19, 1814 at the age of eighty-six. Her grave is located at Burial Hill in Plymouth, MA.
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Contributor
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O'Neill, Iris
