Bessie Louise Pierce

Bessie Louise Pierce was an American historian whose name is closely tied to Chicago history. Reliable sources describe her as the author of the influential three-volume A History of Chicago, the work for which she is best remembered.

Born in 1888 in Caro, Michigan, she grew up in Waverly, Iowa. She studied history at the University of Iowa and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, then went on to teach and build a long academic career.

Pierce served on the University of Chicago faculty and devoted many years to researching the city she wrote about so vividly. Alongside A History of Chicago, she also wrote As Others See Chicago, showing her lasting interest in how the city looked to residents, visitors, and historians alike.