Maisie Ward

Born on January 4, 1889, on the Isle of Wight, Mary Josephine "Maisie" Ward Sheed was a British writer and lecturer who grew up in a prominent Catholic literary family. She published as Maisie Ward and became known for combining strong religious convictions with an energetic, public-facing style of writing and speaking.

In 1926, she and her husband Frank Sheed founded the publishing house Sheed & Ward in London. The press became a major force in Catholic publishing, bringing out important writers and helping shape English-language Catholic thought for decades.

Ward also built a lasting reputation as an author in her own right. Her best-known book is her biography of G. K. Chesterton, and she also wrote memoir and biographical works that reflected her wide circle of literary and religious friendships. She died on January 28, 1975, in Jersey City, New Jersey.