author

Elizabeth Sarah Kite

1864–1954

A historian of Franco-American ties, her work brought figures like Beaumarchais, L’Enfant, Lafayette, and de Grasse back into the story of the American founding. She also helped place copies of French Revolution documents in the Library of Congress, earning France's Legion of Honour.

2 Audiobooks

Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence, Vol. 1

Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence, Vol. 1

by Elizabeth Sarah Kite

Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence, Vol. 2

Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence, Vol. 2

by Elizabeth Sarah Kite

About the author

Born in Philadelphia in 1864, she grew up in a Quaker family, attended boarding school in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and later studied abroad for several years. During that time she converted to Catholicism, and after returning to the United States she taught in private schools in several states.

Before focusing on history, she spent part of the 1910s assisting psychological research at the Vineland Training School in New Jersey and translated a work by Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon into English. Her historical writing then turned strongly toward Franco-American subjects, including books on Beaumarchais, Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the correspondence of Washington and the Comte de Grasse, Duportail, Lafayette, and the Catholic contribution to American history.

She became especially known for her work connecting American and French archival history. She was instrumental in placing photostats of French Revolution documents in the Library of Congress, and France honored her as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. She died in Wilmington, Delaware, on January 6, 1954.