Katharine Sergeant Angell White
Encyclopedia
Katharine Sergeant Angell White (September 17, 1892 – July 20, 1977) was a writer and the fiction editor for The New Yorker
magazine from 1925 to 1960. In her obituary, printed in The New Yorker in 1977, William Shawn
wrote that "More than any other editor except Harold Ross
himself, Katharine White gave The New Yorker its shape, and set it on its course."
class of 1914. She began working for Harold Ross
at The New Yorker in 1925, six months after its inception. She started out reading unsolicited manuscripts for two hours a day, then quickly moved to full-time work. She proved indispensable as an editor, writer, and shaper of the magazine's advertising policy. She was an extremely literate, elegant, and cultivated woman whom James Thurber
described as "the fountain and shrine of The New Yorker."
In 1929, she left her first husband, a lawyer, and married a younger man, a young writer she had recommended be hired by Ross, E. B. White
. They were both back at work at The New Yorker the next day. After her second marriage, she became known as Katharine S. White.
White was widely known as a woman of integrity. She also had a refined sense of good taste which showed in her deft handling of verse, profiles, and casuals. She served as The New Yorkers first head of fiction and helped form the magazine into the literary giant it is today.
As well as being wife of E. B. White, she was the mother (from her first marriage) of a son, writer Roger Angell
, and daughter, Nancy Angell Stableford. Roger Angell has spent decades as a fiction editor for The New Yorker and is well-known as the magazine's baseball writer. Her other son, Joel White
, was a naval architect and boatbuilder who owned Brooklin Boatyard in Brooklin, Maine
.
White originally wrote under the name Katharine Sergeant Angell. Her only published book (as Katharine White), titled Onward and Upward in the Garden, was published after her death. It is a compilation of her garden articles and journals. Horticulture magazine states, "Although she never claimed to be more than an amateur, her pieces, especially her famous surveys of garden catalogs, are remarkable for their fierce intelligence and crisp prose." Her husband credits this book project with saving his own life after her death, as it gave him her words every day, and something to work on after she had died.
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine from 1925 to 1960. In her obituary, printed in The New Yorker in 1977, William Shawn
William Shawn
William Shawn was an American magazine editor who edited The New Yorker from 1952 until 1987.-Education and Early Life:...
wrote that "More than any other editor except Harold Ross
Harold Ross
Harold Wallace Ross was an American journalist and founder of The New Yorker magazine, which he edited from the magazine's inception in 1925 to his death....
himself, Katharine White gave The New Yorker its shape, and set it on its course."
Biography
White graduated fourth in the Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
class of 1914. She began working for Harold Ross
Harold Ross
Harold Wallace Ross was an American journalist and founder of The New Yorker magazine, which he edited from the magazine's inception in 1925 to his death....
at The New Yorker in 1925, six months after its inception. She started out reading unsolicited manuscripts for two hours a day, then quickly moved to full-time work. She proved indispensable as an editor, writer, and shaper of the magazine's advertising policy. She was an extremely literate, elegant, and cultivated woman whom James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
described as "the fountain and shrine of The New Yorker."
In 1929, she left her first husband, a lawyer, and married a younger man, a young writer she had recommended be hired by Ross, E. B. White
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...
. They were both back at work at The New Yorker the next day. After her second marriage, she became known as Katharine S. White.
White was widely known as a woman of integrity. She also had a refined sense of good taste which showed in her deft handling of verse, profiles, and casuals. She served as The New Yorkers first head of fiction and helped form the magazine into the literary giant it is today.
As well as being wife of E. B. White, she was the mother (from her first marriage) of a son, writer Roger Angell
Roger Angell
Roger Angell is an American essayist. He has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker and was its chief fiction editor for many years...
, and daughter, Nancy Angell Stableford. Roger Angell has spent decades as a fiction editor for The New Yorker and is well-known as the magazine's baseball writer. Her other son, Joel White
Joel White
Joel White , the son of author E. B. White and New Yorker Magazine editor Katharine Sergeant Angell White, was a renowned U.S. naval architect known for his classic and beautiful designs including the W-Class of boats. Two W boats were posthumously built by Rockport Marine and Brooklin Boat Yard...
, was a naval architect and boatbuilder who owned Brooklin Boatyard in Brooklin, Maine
Brooklin, Maine
Brooklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is home to WoodenBoat Magazine Brooklin Boat Yard, and numerous boatbuilders, artists, writers, musicians and potters.-History:...
.
White originally wrote under the name Katharine Sergeant Angell. Her only published book (as Katharine White), titled Onward and Upward in the Garden, was published after her death. It is a compilation of her garden articles and journals. Horticulture magazine states, "Although she never claimed to be more than an amateur, her pieces, especially her famous surveys of garden catalogs, are remarkable for their fierce intelligence and crisp prose." Her husband credits this book project with saving his own life after her death, as it gave him her words every day, and something to work on after she had died.
Death
She survived four previous heart attacks, but Katharine White died of congestive heart failure at the age of eighty four on July 20, 1977.Books
- Onward and upward in the garden, edited, and with an introduction by E. B. White, New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, c. 1979.