Katharine Susan Anthony (November 27, 1877 – November 20, 1965) was an influential American biographer, feminist, and social advocate.
Born in Roseville in Logan County, she was the third daughter of Ernest Augustus Anthony and Susan Jane Cathey. Her early life was marked by a move to Fort Smith where she attended public schools and later taught elementary school. Her father was a grocer and the family moved to Fort Smith for economic reasons,
Anthony's academic journey took her to prestigious institutions, including the universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg in Germany, and the University of Chicago, where she earned a Ph.B. degree in 1905.
Her academic pursuits were stalled briefly in 1904 when her father, by then a Fort Smith police, officer, died in 1904 after being struck and killed by a train while patrolling the local rail yard.
Her college teaching career began at Wellesley College in 1907, but she soon transitioned to writing, settling in Greenwich Village, New York City.
In Greenwich Village, Anthony was surrounded by a diverse group of artists, writers, and social activists. She lived with her partner, Elisabeth Irwin, a social reformer and educator who founded the Little Red School House, one of the city's first progressive schools. Their home at 23 Bank Street became a hub for intellectual and social gatherings.
She traveled the world but her only other trip back to Arkansas was in 1917 when her mother passed away. Both of her parents are buried in the historic Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith.
Her literary career was prolific and diverse, with notable works including biographies of Margaret Fuller, Catherine the Great, Louisa May Alcott, Dolly Madison, and Susan B. Anthony.
Her book "The Lambs" (1945) was particularly controversial, as it explored the psychological aspects of the British writers Charles and Mary Lamb.
Beyond her writing, Anthony was a passionate advocate for women's rights, pacifism, and socialism.
She was a member of the Heterodoxy Club, a New York-based organization of unconventional and progressive individuals
Anthony lived a life that defied the norms of her time, never marrying but raising several children with her partner.
She passed away in New York City in 1965, leaving behind a body of work that continues to inspire and provoke thought.
