Ruth Comfort Mitchell

Born on July 21, 1882, Ruth Comfort Mitchell was an American writer and playwright who also published as Mrs. Sanborn Young. She worked across several forms, including poetry, fiction, and drama, and is especially associated with the novel Of Human Kindness.

She was active in California literary and public circles and was married to state senator Sanborn Young. Sources on her life also connect her with Los Gatos, where she became known as an energetic local figure as well as an author.

Mitchell died on February 18, 1954. Although she is not as widely read today as some of her contemporaries, her career still stands out for its range, her strong sense of feeling for ordinary people, and the way she balanced literary work with a very public, engaged life.