Died 22 June 1966 | Books Magic Valley | |
Margaret Bell Houston (also Margaret Bell Houston Kauffman, 1877 – June 22, 1966) was an American writer and suffragist who lived in Texas and New York. Houston published over 20 novels, most of them set in Texas. Houston's work was also published in Good Housekeeping and McCalls in serial format.
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Biography
Houston was born at Cedar Bayou, Texas and was the granddaughter of Sam Houston. Houston began writing at age eight. She attended St. Mary's College and went on to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Columbia University. She was first published in the newspapers, the Brenham Banner and the Dallas News.
Houston moved to Dallas and was married to a businessman, named Kauffman. In 1913, Houston was the first president of the Dallas Equal Suffrage Association (DESA). Under her tenure as president of DESA, the group grew to around 200 members. She also started writing her first novel, Little Straw Wife (1914), during that time.
Houston moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1953. Cottonwoods Grow Tall (1958), written after her move to Florida received "critical praise as a work of literary merit." Kirkus Reviews called it a "femininely accented story." Houston died in St. Petersburg on June 22, 1966. She was transported back to Dallas to be buried at Restland Cemetery.