Elizabeth Gray Potter

Elizabeth Gray Potter was an American author, historian, and librarian whose work was closely tied to San Francisco and the wider Bay Area. Reliable records from library and archival sources show that she studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and later spent many years as librarian at Mills College.

She published fiction and nonfiction in the early 20th century, including stories for Overland Monthly. Her best-known books include The Lure of San Francisco: A Romance Amid Old Landmarks, written with Mabel Thayer Gray, and The San Francisco Skyline, a later book that reflects her strong interest in the city's past and character.

Archival notes also describe her as a photographer, which fits the visual, place-centered quality of her writing. She died in 1959, and her surviving work offers a warm, detailed window into historic California.