Martha Haines Butt Bennett | |
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Born | Martha Haines Butt November 22, 1833 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | February 9, 1871 (aged 37) New York City, New York, U.S. |
Occupation |
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Language | English |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
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Genre |
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Notable works | Antifanaticism: A Tale of the South |
Spouse |
Nathan Ives Bennett (
m. 1865) |
Martha Haines Butt (after marriage, Bennett; November 22, 1833 – February 9, 1871) was an American proslavery author primarily known by her maiden name. She was a contributor to various periodicals and magazines, in both the North and South. [1] At the age of 19, she published Antifanaticism: A Tale of the South, an 1853 plantation fiction novel. [2] Though she had written anti-woman's rights editorials in the 1850s, by 1870, she supported women's suffrage.
Martha Haines Butt was born in Norfolk, Virginia, November 22, 1833. [3] She was an only child. [4] Her father, Francis Butt, was of English ancestry; her mother, Mary Ann Morriss Butt, a milliner, was of French ancestry. [3]
During the period of 1847–50, Butt was educated at Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott's Mills, [3] near Baltimore, and received her diploma there. She was presented with a gold medal and the degree of A. M. ( Artium Magister) by Harrisburg Female College. [4]
Butt's first appearance in print was at the age of fourteen, although she had written for several years before that time. [4] Her 1853 novel, Antifanaticism: A Tale of the South, was a proslavery response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. [5] [6] Butt's volume of Leisure Moments was a collection of her short stories, essays, and sketches. Pastimes with Little Friends was published in 1866. [1] [4] Butt was an occasional contributor to the periodical press of the country, and a frequent writer to the Ladies' Home Journal. [7]
On July 6, 1865, in Norfolk, she married Nathan Ives Bennett, of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They lived in Bridgeport before removing to New York City. [4] [3] After marriage, she continued to be primarily known by her maiden name.
In 1870, Butt served as vice president of the Virginia State Woman Suffrage Association. [3]
Martha Haines Butt died of pneumonia at the Grand Central Hotel, New York City, February 9, 1871. [3] [7]
Butt's arm and hand were copied as a model by the artist William Randolph Barbee, of Virginia, for the statue of the Fisher Girl. [4]