author

Alice Crary Sutcliffe

An early 20th-century biographer with a strong family connection to her subject, she is best remembered for books on inventor Robert Fulton. Her work helped bring his experiments, letters, and achievements to a wider general audience.

1 Audiobook

Robert Fulton

Robert Fulton

by Alice Crary Sutcliffe

About the author

Alice Crary Sutcliffe was an American writer born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on December 25, 1868, and she died in Lancashire, England, on December 5, 1953. Available records also identify her as the daughter of Robert Fulton Crary and Agnes Boyd Van Kleeck Crary, and as the wife of Arthur Taylor Sutcliffe.

She is best known for writing about Robert Fulton, including Robert Fulton and the "Clermont" (1909) and Robert Fulton (1915). Contemporary references described her as Fulton's great-granddaughter, which helps explain the personal interest and family perspective behind her books.

Her writing focused on history and biography in a clear, accessible way. Surviving book listings also connect her with The Homestead of a Colonial Dame, suggesting a broader interest in family and American historical subjects.