Natalie Sumner Lincoln

Born in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 1881, Natalie Sumner Lincoln was an American novelist best known for mystery and crime fiction. Much of her work is set in her native city, giving her stories a distinctive backdrop of official power, social ritual, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Lincoln came from a literary and public-service family, and she also worked as an editor, including for the D.A.R. Magazine. She published a long run of popular novels in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s, with titles such as The Red Seal helping establish her reputation for brisk plots and layered secrets.

She died in Washington on August 31, 1935. Today, she is remembered as one of the early American writers who used the mystery genre to explore both private scandal and public corruption, often with the city of Washington itself acting almost like a character.