Katrina Trask
Encyclopedia
Katrina Trask also known as Kate Nichols Trask, was an American author and philanthropist.
She married Spencer Trask
, a prominent Wall Street
banker and financier, on November 12, 1874. Her husband was a director of several railroads and the president of the Edison Illuminating Company
of New York. He also helped plan and finance the reorganization of the New York Times in 1896.
Katrina was the mother of four children, all of whom died in infancy or childhood. Spencer was killed in a railroad accident in 1909. In 1913 Katrina suffered several heart attacks and spent much of the remainder of her life developing and financing Yaddo
, an artists' community in Saratoga Springs, New York
, where she was an invalid.
On February 6, 1921, she married George Foster Peabody
. Katrina died less than a year later in 1922.
She published Free Not Bound (1903), a novel, and Night & Morning (1907), a narrative in blank verse
; both were about love and marriage. In 1908 she wrote King Alfred’s Jewel a historical drama also in blank verse.
As an avid pacifist she wrote an antiwar play, In the Vanguard which appeared a year before World War I
and went through eight editions and was performed by women clubs and church groups.
Life account
She was born Kate Nichols in Brooklyn, New York to George Little Nichols and Christina Mary Cole. Her father was a partner in a large importing firm.She married Spencer Trask
Spencer Trask
Spencer Trask was an American financier, philanthropist, and venture capitalist. Beginning in the 1870s, Trask began investing and supporting entrepreneurs, including Thomas Edison's invention of the electric light bulb and his electricity network...
, a prominent Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
banker and financier, on November 12, 1874. Her husband was a director of several railroads and the president of the Edison Illuminating Company
Edison Illuminating Company
The Edison Illuminating Company was established by Thomas Edison on December 17, 1880, to construct electrical generating stations, initially in New York City...
of New York. He also helped plan and finance the reorganization of the New York Times in 1896.
Katrina was the mother of four children, all of whom died in infancy or childhood. Spencer was killed in a railroad accident in 1909. In 1913 Katrina suffered several heart attacks and spent much of the remainder of her life developing and financing Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
, an artists' community in Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, where she was an invalid.
On February 6, 1921, she married George Foster Peabody
George Foster Peabody
George Foster Peabody was a banker and philanthropist.-Early life:...
. Katrina died less than a year later in 1922.
Career
In 1878 she wrote Colorado Leaves and in 1888 the Chronicles of Yaddo. Her first book, Under King Constantine, was published anonymously in 1892. The book contains three long love poems and was written in three days under intense mental strain. She hid the poems away for years until finally persuaded by her husband to have them published. It went through five editions and beginning with the second edition she started identifying herself as Katrina Trask.She published Free Not Bound (1903), a novel, and Night & Morning (1907), a narrative in blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
; both were about love and marriage. In 1908 she wrote King Alfred’s Jewel a historical drama also in blank verse.
As an avid pacifist she wrote an antiwar play, In the Vanguard which appeared a year before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and went through eight editions and was performed by women clubs and church groups.
Works
- Colorado Leaves 1878
- Chronicles of Yaddo 1888
- Under King Constantine 1892
- Sonnets and Lyrics 1894
- White Satin and Homespun 1896
- John Leighton, Jr.: a novel 1898
- Lessons in Love 1900
- Free Not Bound 1903
- Mors Et Victoria [a Drama] 1903
- Night & Morning 1907
- King Alfred’s Jewel 1908
- In the Vanguard 1913
- The Statue of Peace 1914
- The Mighty and the Lowly 1915
- Without the Walls: A Reading Play 1919