Mitchell, Ruth Comfort, 1882-1954

Ruth Comfort Mitchell was born on July 21, 1882 in San Francisco. She spent a good deal of time in Los Gatos, California, where her parents owned a summer home. It was here that her first poem was published in the local newspaper, when she was 14 years old. After she married Sanborn Young in 1914, the couple moved to New York City. Within two years, she had a play opening on Broadway and a published volume of poems, to be followed soon after by her first novel. The Youngs soon returned to Los Gatos. In 1925, Sanborn Young was elected to the California State Senate, where he would serve until 1938. Ruth was active in a number of conservative organizations and twice served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Sanborn Young returned to life as a cattle rancher after retiring from the Senate and, as such, he and his wife were upset by Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which appeared soon after, in 1939. Ruth was determined to tell their side of the story, the result being her novel Of Human Kindness, in which a gentleman farmer's family must overcome tribulations brought on by migrant workers, union organizers, liberal academics, and Communists. Ruth Comfort Mitchell continued to write throughout the 1940s and died at her home on February 17, 1954 of heart failure.

From the description of Ruth Comfort Mitchell Collection, ca. 1879-1961 (bulk 1930s-1940s) (University of California, Santa Barbara). WorldCat record id: 76707652

Biography

Ruth Comfort Mitchell, perhaps best known for her novel Of Human Kindness, which she wrote as a counterpoint to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, had a long and successful career as a writer, producing numerous novels, poems, short stories, and one-act plays.

Born on July 21, 1882 in San Francisco, Mitchell spent a good deal of time in Los Gatos, California, where her parents owned a summer home. It was here that her first poem was published in the local newspaper, when she was 14 years old. She pursued a literary career after her marriage to Sanborn Young in 1914, when the couple moved to New York City. Within two years, she had a play opening on Broadway and a published volume of poems, to be followed soon after by her first novel.

The Youngs soon returned to Los Gatos and began building their elaborate Chinese-styled home, which they dubbed Yung See San Fong, on a hilltop ranch. In 1925, Sanborn Young was elected to the California State Senate, where he would serve until 1938, becoming a close friend to President Herbert Hoover. Ruth proved to be a tireless campaigner and was active in a number of conservative organizations, even serving twice as a delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Sanborn Young returned to life as a cattle rancher after retiring from the Senate and, as such, he and his wife were upset by Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which appeared soon after, in 1939. Ruth Comfort Mitchell determined to tell their side of the story, the result being her novel Of Human Kindness, in which a gentleman farmer's family must overcome the tribulations brought by migrant workers, union organizers, liberal academics, and Communists.

Ruth Comfort Mitchell continued to write throughout the 1940s and was an active member of the Christian Science Church of Los Gatos. She died at home on February 17, 1954 of heart failure.

From the guide to the Ruth Comfort Mitchell Collection, ca. 1879-1961, (bulk 1930s-1940s), (University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Department of Special Collections)