Ruth Comfort Mitchell Young

• American

Ruth Comfort Mitchell was born in San Francisco in 1882. Summers were spent in Los Gatos, where her parents and grandparents had summer homes. At the age of 14 her first poem was published in the Los Gatos Mail newspaper, thus launching her literary career, which continued throughout her lifetime. In 1914 literary friends in San Francisco introduced Ruth to Sanborn Young. A native of Chicago and a graduate of Northwestern University, Young had recently sold his grain business and was traveling. The couple were married in October 1914 in the Grand Canyon and moved to New York, where Ruth continued her literary pursuits, and he studied photography. In 1916 her play The Sweetmeat Game opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway starring Olive Wyndham. With a Chinese setting the successful play toured the Orpheum circuit around the country for two years. - NPS