Marchette Chute

Born: 1909

Marchette Chute was born in Wayzata, Minn., the daughter of William Chute, a real estate broker, and Edith Mary Pickburn Chute, who had been a nurse in a London hospital. She was privately educated at home and then attended Central High School in Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota. After writing a series of books of verse for children, Miss Chute wrote her first biography, "Geoffrey Chaucer of England" (1946), an informal survey of Chaucer's life that was well-enough received to encourage her to write about Shakespeare in London. Her best-known book was "Shakespeare of London" (1950), published by E. P. Dutton, which was a best seller and a Book-of-the-Month Club dual selection.  Among her other books were "An Introduction to Shakespeare" (1951); "Ben Jonson of Westminster" (1953); "Two Gentlemen: The Lives of George Herbert and Robert Herrick" (1959); "The First Liberty: A History of the Right to Vote in America, 1619-1850," and "PEN American Center: A History of the First 50 Years" (1972).  Source