Catherine Drinker Bowen

Catherine Drinker Bowen (January 1, 1897 in Haverford, PA as Catherine Drinker – November 1, 1973 in Haverford) was an American biographer. She won the 1958 National Book Award in nonfiction for "The Lion and the Throne: The Life and Times of Sir Edward Coke". In addition, Bowen received the 1957 Philadelphia Award and the 1962 Women's National Book Association award. She married Ezra Bowen, Chair of Economics at Lehigh University and author of "Social Economics." She was survived by her son, Ezra Bowen (died Westport, CT, 1996), "Sports Illustrated" & Time-Life writer and editor; grandson, Ezra D. Bowen, and now great-grandchildren, Leslie R. Bowen and Elizabeth D. Bowen. She is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Books

*"Beloved Friend: The Story of Tchaikowsky and Nadejda Von Meck" (1937)
*"Free artist;: The story of Anton and Nicholas Rubinstein" (1939)
*"Yankee from Olympus: Justice Holmes and His Family" (1944)
*"The Lion and the Throne: The Life and Times of Sir Edward Coke" (1957)
*"Adventures of a Biographer" (1959)
*"Francis Bacon: The Temper of a Man" (1963)
*"Miracle at Philadelphia": The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787 (1966), which is #54 on list of books in the most number of American Libraries. [http://www.libraryspot.com/lists/listoclc.htm]
*"John Adams and the American Revolution"
*"Bernard DeVoto: Historian, critic, and fighter"
*"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Scenes from the Life of Benjamin Franklin"
*"Family Portrait"
*"Story of the oak tree"
*"Lord of the law"
*"A History of Lehigh University"
*"Biography: The Craft and the Calling" (1978)
*"The writing of biography"

Family

Catherine was the daughter of Henry Sturgis Drinker and had four brothers, Harry, Jim, Cecil and Philip (inventor of the Iron Lung) and one sister, Ernesta (known for her Cecilia Beaux portrait).

External links

* [http://www.law.upenn.edu/about/history/photogallery/Insidegallery/bowen.html Portrait at the University of Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.webcemeteries.com/westlaurelhill/LHO.Asp Biography at West Laurel Hill Cemetery web site]