Sallie Webster Dorsey

Sallie Webster Dorsey (April 5, 1860 – August 5, 1937) was an American librarian and clubwoman. She was Maryland State Librarian from 1912 to 1916.

Sallie Webster Dorsey
BornApril 5, 1860
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedAugust 5, 1937
OccupationLibrarian
Known forMaryland State Librarian, 1912 to 1916
RelativesHester Dorsey Richardson (sister)

Early life

Sallie Webster Dorsey was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of James Levin Dorsey and Sarah Ann Webster Richardson Dorsey.[1][2] Her father was a grain broker.[3] Her sister Hester Dorsey Richardson was a clubwoman and local historian in Maryland.

Career

Dorsey wrote for newspapers, and was one of the original members of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore. She was president of the Cambridge Woman's Club, and hosted literary gatherings in her home in Cambridge.[4] From 1912 to 1916 she was Maryland State Librarian, based in Annapolis,[5] and a member of the Maryland Public Library Commission.[1][6] She was appointed by Governor Phillips Lee Goldsborough, who was also her neighbor and a family friend.[3] She attended the annual meeting of the National Association of State Libraries in Washington, D.C. in 1914.[7]

Dorsey raised money to provide an organ and community service items for the Old Church, a Protestant Episcopal parish in Dorchester County, Maryland.[8] She supported public playgrounds and gardens.[9] She was also an active member of the Baltimore chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[10] During World War I, she chaired the Volunteer Motor Messenger Service of the Women's Section of the Council of Defense in Baltimore.[11]

Personal life and legacy

Dorsey lived with her older sisters Elizabeth and Mary in Dorchester County. She died in 1937, aged 77 years. A duster-style linen coat worn and mended by Dorsey is in the collection of the Maryland Center for History and Culture.[12]

References
  1. Leonard, John W. (1914). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914–1915. American Commonwealth Company. p. 254.
  2. Richardson, Hester Dorsey (1913). Side-lights on Maryland History: With Sketches of Early Maryland Families, by Hester Dorsey Richardson ... Williams and Wilkins Company.
  3. "Miss Dorsey Librarian; Governor Appoints his Neighbor to Succeed Miss Shaffer". The Baltimore Sun. February 1, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Schoolgirls Her Guests; Miss Blanchard Read Some of her Stories at Cambridge". The Baltimore Sun. November 14, 1910. p. 11. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Coover, Robert Wingert (1959). A History of the Maryland State Library: 1827–1939 (with a Summary of Events from 1939–1959). Maryland State Library. p. 59.
  6. Maryland Public Library Commission (1911–1913). Annual Report. p. 3.
  7. Lester, C. B.; Wyer, J. I.; Lambert, Alice; Wilson, Thomas W.; King, James L.; Kavanaugh, Frank; Prince, H. C.; Spencer, Mary C.; Lien, Elias J.; Smith, Geo. E.; Lindsay, H. C. (1914). "[National association of state libraries]". Bulletin of the American Library Association. 8 (4): 271–327. ISSN 0364-4049. JSTOR 25685270.
  8. Jones, Elias (1902). History of Dorchester County, Maryland. Williams & Wilkins. pp. 113–114.
  9. "Playgrounds Doing Good". The Baltimore Sun. July 11, 1906. p. 6. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Baltimore Chapter". The American Monthly. 28: 224. March 1906.
  11. "Defense Council Looks After Communities". The Daily Banner. February 8, 1918. p. 2. Retrieved May 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Duster". Maryland Center for History and Culture. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.