author
Laura Dayton Fessenden
1852–1924
An American author of romances, historical fiction, children’s books, and songs, she also imagined a peaceful, technologically advanced future in her 1902 speculative novel 2002. Writing under both Laura C. S. Dayton and Laura Dayton Fessenden, she built a varied literary career alongside active work in Chicago civic and women’s organizations.
1 Audiobook
Hatsu : a story of Egypt
by Laura Dayton Fessenden
About the author
Laura Canfield Spencer Dayton was born in New York City on December 29, 1852, and was educated at St. Mary’s Hall in Burlington, New Jersey. Before her marriage, she published as Laura C. S. Dayton. In 1880, she married Benjamin Arthur Fessenden and later moved with him to Chicago, where they raised four children.
Fessenden wrote romances, historical novels, poetry, magazine articles, children’s songs, and nonfiction. Her books include Beth, Essie: A Romance in Rhyme, A Puritan Lover, A Colonial Dame, Hatsu: A Story of Egypt, and Kaskaskia. Her imaginative works Moon Children and 2002: Childlife One Hundred Years from Now explored life on the Moon and a future society shaped by new technology, renewable energy, world peace, and a woman president.
Beyond writing, she represented Harper’s Bazaar at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, founded the Highland Park Woman’s Club, and participated in several historical and civic organizations. She died in Chicago on May 11, 1924, and was buried at Lake Forest Cemetery.