Dorothy Giles (April 27, 1892 – December 29, 1960) was an American freelance writer, journalist, editor andlocal historian.[1] She was author of several books.[2][3]
Giles was born on April 27, 1892 inCold Spring, New York. The parents of Dorothy Giles, Richard Giles (1861–1918) and Ida Rosina Webb married in June 1891, in New York City. Richard Giles was a physician who practiced medicine on Fair Street in Cold Spring,Putnam County, New York.[4] Dorothy Giles's brother Richard L. Giles was born in 1895. Dorothy Giles studied art and languages and graduated from theCathedral School of St. Mary, the sister school of St. Paul's School in Garden City, New York.[5]
While pursuing her career as a journalist, Dorothy Giles, for many years, grew vegetables, flowers, and fruits in a home garden in Cold Spring, her hometown along the banks of theHudson River.[6][3]
She published the 1922 pamphletDown the Garden Path[7] and the 1926 bookThe Little Kitchen Garden.[3] As an influential member of the Putnam County Historical Society, Dorothy Giles had a home on Pauling Avenue in Cold Spring and was active in community affairs.[1] In 1924 her bookAdventures in Brotberhood was published.[8]
Giles wrote two travel books:The Road Through Spain (1929)[9] andThe Road Through Czechoslovakia (1930).[10]Tomáš Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia, honored her for her 1930 travel book — she became the first woman to receive the silver medal of theOrder of the White Lion, Knight Class.[2][3] She became a member of the American Friends of Czechoslovakia (an American association which helped Czechoslovak refugees during and after both World Wars). She also belonged to thePen and Brush Club.
Giles was a staff member ofCosmopolitan Magazine from 1933 to 1939.[2][3] In 1940Random House published her bookSinging Valleys: The Story of Corn[11][12] — the food historian Cynthia Clampitt[13] called the book a "classic".[14] AmongDartmouth College Library's archival and manuscript collections, there is theSinging Valleys typescript with handwritten corrections and printer's marks.[5]
In 1945, the famous singerSophie Tucker published an autobiographySome of These Days: The Autobiography of Sophie Tucker, written in collaboration with Dorothy Giles.[15][2] Giles was aghostwriter forGypsy Rose Lee, among other celebrities.[1] Giles was a ghostwriter forEdwin Main Post Jr.'s 1961 bookTruly Emily Post.[16]
In 1949,G. P. Putnam's Sons published Giles's bookA candle in her hand; a story of the nursing schools of Bellevue Hospital.[17] She was a member of the American Craftsmen's Educational Council, which initiated the exhibition "Designer Craftsmen U.S.A. 1953". The exhibition opened at theBrooklyn Museum and was subsequently displayed at theArt Institute of Chicago and theSan Francisco Museum of Art.[18] The 72-page exhibition catalogue contains 111 black-and-white images and a 10-page essay by Dorothy Giles.[19]
After Dorothy Giles died in December 1960, her collaborator Irma Franklin completed their historical and genealogical compilationThomas Davenport, Philipstown pioneer, 1682-1759, and his descendants, which was published in 1962 by the Putnam County Historical Society.[20]
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Media related toDorothy Giles at Wikimedia Commons
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