Margaret Cameron

Born in Ottawa, Illinois, on December 21, 1867, Margaret Cameron spent much of her youth in Santa Barbara, California, after her family moved there when she was a child. She grew up reading widely and writing from an early age, and she later built a career as both a musician and an author.

Cameron became especially known for her humor. Contemporary readers and critics praised her short stories and one-act plays for their light, satirical touch, and she was recognized in her time as an important American woman humorist. She also wrote travel books, including The Involuntary Chaperon, and a novel, Johndover, which drew on the atmosphere of old Santa Barbara.

Her range was wider than comedy alone. Cameron also wrote The Seven Purposes, a widely read book on psychic phenomena, showing her interest in mysticism alongside her gift for entertainment. She died in Winter Park, Florida, on February 4, 1947.