Daviess, Maria Thompson, 1872-1924

Maria Thompson Daviess (November 25, 1872 – September 3, 1924) was an American artist and feminist author. She is best known for her popular novels written in the early 20th century, with a "Pollyanna" outlook, as well as several short stories. Daviess was affiliated with the Equal Suffrage League in Tennessee, being the co-founder and vice-president of the chapter in Nashville and an organizer of the chapter in Madison.

Maria (sometimes "Marie") Thompson Daviess was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky on November 25, 1872. Her parents were John Burton Thompson Daviess and Leonora Hamilton Daviess. After the death of her father when she was eight, the remaining family subsequently relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Her paternal grandmother, also named Maria Thompson Daviess, was a columnist and lecturer.

Daviess studied one year at Wellesley College, and then travelled to Paris to study art. Returning to Nashville, she continued to paint and also took up writing. Her first novel, Miss Selina Lue and the Soap-box Babies, was published in 1909. The Melting of Molly, published in 1912, was one of the top best-selling books for the year. She published sixteen books between 1909 and 1920.

She resided in Nashville, Tennessee in 1910, but in 1921, she moved to New York City, where she died in September 1924. She did not marry and had no children.