Elizabeth Cutter Morrow

Elizabeth (Betty) Cutter Morrow (1873-1955), was an American poet, champion of women's education, and influence on Mexican culture.[1] Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she had a twin sister and three younger siblings.[2] She had four children with her husband Dwight Morrow, a US Senator and ambassador. Betty attended Smith College in 1892 and wrote several children's books and collections of poetry.[3] She and her husband collected wide variety of art while in Mexico and helped popularize Mexican folk art.[4] Betty died in 1955 after having a stroke leading her to fall into a coma.[5]

Early life

Elizabeth Reeve Cutter, called Betty, was born along with her twin sister Mary on May 29, 1873 to her parents Charles Cutter and Annie Spencer Cutter. Betty had three younger sisters.[6] The Cutters lived in Cleveland with their extended family before moving in 1888 to a home Charles built nearby.[7] Annie Cutter raised her children to be pious and respect etiquette, and the Bible was a regular study tool in the Cutter's home. Betty learned to love reading and writing from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.[7]

Both Mary and Betty were sickly children, and, in 1879, both sisters became ill enough the family decided to move from their home in Cleveland to New Orleans, Louisiana. Supposedly, the warm weather was to cure the girls' sickness. The trip South was meant to be temporary, but Mary's declining health kept the family in New Orleans. On November 22, 1882, Mary succumbed to Tuberculosis. After Mary died, Mrs. Cutter became overprotective about Betty's health. In March 1883 Betty was sent to her Uncle John, a doctor in Dayton, Ohio. Betty disliked her trips to Dayton and began a lifelong habit of writing in a diary to cope. Through this exercise, she met her Uncle Arthur who encouraged her love of books and writing.[2] Betty's health returned to her, and, in 1888, she went to the Republican Convention with her Uncle Charlie. Betty yearned to live like her wealthy uncle,[8] but this dream seemed unattainable as the family lived in near poverty.[9]

Education

Betty decided to attend Smith College because she wanted independence from her parents. Her current high school did not meet the entry requirements for Smith, however, so, in 1891, Betty decided to attend a private school. Upon interview, the president of the school welcomed her, but she still needed the approval of her parents who were overseas.[3] Her parents supported her and several of her uncles encouraged her, but none more than her Uncle Arthur. Betty attended Smith from 1892-1896.[10] Trouble came in the summer before he sophomore year when her father lost his job and was unable to pay for tuition, but her Uncle Arthur paid for her remaining years at Smith.[11] In her Sophomore year, Dwight Morrow began courting her after they met at a dance. Betty was not initially happy with this, but Dwight would continue to court her well after they graduated.[12]

Life

After graduating from Smith, Betty found herself unable to find work. Determined to make a living, Betty started "parlor-teaching." She gave six talks a week on Henrik Ibsen's plays from the comfort of her cousin's home. Although she was making a large amount of money, Betty hated the work.[13]

In the summer of 1899, the Cutter family went abroad to Europe and would not return until the spring of 1901. Betty continued to write letters to Dwight during this time, but, after returning, the couple had a falling out and would not resume correspondence for three months. The couple got married on June 16, 1903. [14] After marrying Dwight, the couple settled in Englewood, New Jersey. They moved into a small house and over the course of 7 years the family would move two more times into increasingly larger estates until settling in their final home, named Next Day (to-Morrow) Hill.[15]

Dwight and Betty had four children. Notably, her children include Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001), wife of Charles Lindbergh, and Elisabeth Morrow (1904-1934), founder of the Elisabeth Morrow School. Her youngest children were Dwight Whitney Jr. (1908-1976), and Constance Cutter (1913-1995).[16] Betty taught her children to be pious and respect etiquette, however, her children did not appreciate her lessons. This rift between her children grew larger as Betty spent more time away from her children as her husband's advancing political career demanded her to attend frequent dinner parties. Her days were occupied by attending many clubs; she belonged to organizations such as the Community Chest, The Red Cross, The Children's Aid Society, The Presbyterian Church, and The Smith College Club. As her children grew older, Betty spent less time at home and a nanny took over primary care of the children.[17]

Mexico

In 1927 Dwight was assigned to be the Mexican Ambassador. At first, Betty did not like her husband's assignment in Mexico as they had to move from their home in New Jersey and she saw this as a type of exile, [18] but Betty soon grew to love Mexican culture.[4] She often remarked on the grandeur of the embassy and of the warm welcome they received [9] In Mexico, the couple built a small house in Cuernavaca they named Casa Manana. There they gathered a large collection of Mexican Folk Art and hired a large amount of local artists to create fountains and a mural around the estate.[19][4]

After leaving Mexico in 1930, the Morrow's collection of art grew in popularity among American audiences, and an exhibition of the art was held.[20] Although not obvious, Betty and Dwight's time in Mexico, specifically their large collection of art helped shape the cultural identity of the people living in Mexico today.[21]

After her husband died in his sleep in 1931[22] Betty would continue to visit Casa Manana for up to a month every spring.[20] During such trips, Betty would fund projects to restore the murals she and her husband commissioned. In her later years Betty wrote on her time in Mexico with several books: The Painted Pig, Casa Manana, and The Mexican Years.[23]

After Dwight's death, she became the first female head of Smith College, acting as college president from 1939 to 1940, but she was never officially granted the title.[24]

Death

In November 1954, Betty had a stroke, went into a coma, and died on January 24, 1955.[5]

Legacy

Betty is remembered for being a philanthropist and an advocate for women's education.[1] In her later years donated her husband's documents to Amherst College, his alma mater, and Betty's documents from her time as acting president at Smith are preserved in their archive.[23]

Selected works
  • The Painted Pig (1930) (Illustrated by Rene D'Harnoncourt)
  • Quatrains for My Daughter (1931)
  • Casa Mañana (1932) (Illustrated by William Spratling)
  • The Rabbit's Nest (1940)
  • Shannon (1940) (Illustrated by Helen Torrey)

References
  1. Hertog 1999, p. 438.
  2. Morgan 1977, pp. 15-22.
  3. Morgan 1977, pp. 47-48.
  4. Delpar 1992, p. 63.
  5. Hertog 1999, p. 437.
  6. Morgan 1977, pp. 4-27.
  7. Hertog 1999, p. 45.
  8. Morgan 1977, p. 24.
  9. Hertog 1999, p. 23.
  10. Hertog 1999, p. 46.
  11. Morgan 1977, pp. 86-87.
  12. Hertog 1999, p. 44.
  13. Morgan 1977, p. 145.
  14. Morgan 1977, pp. 173-190.
  15. Hertog 1999, pp. 49-53.
  16. Hertog 1999, p. 484.
  17. Hertog 1999, pp. 55-56.
  18. Lopez 2002, p. 50.
  19. Danly 2001, p. 86.
  20. Danly 2001, p. 87.
  21. Lopez 2002, p. 63.
  22. Hertog 1999, p. 147.
  23. Danly 2001, p. 88.
  24. "Elizabeth Cutter Morrow « Smithipedia". sophia.smith.edu.

Bibliography
  • Danly, Susan (2001). "The Morrows in Mexico". Hopscotch: A Cultural Review. 2 (4): 86–88. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  • Delpar, Susan (1992). The Enormous Vogue of Things Mexican: Cultural Relations Between the United States and Mexico, 1920-1935. University of Alabama Press.
  • Hertog, Susan (November 1999). Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life. Random House. ISBN 0-385-46973-X.
  • Lopez, Rick A. (2002). "The Morrows in Mexico". In Danly, Susan; Stavans, Ilan (eds.). Casa Manana: The Morrow Collection of Mexican Popular Arts. University of New mexico Press. pp. 47–63.
  • Morgan, Constance Morrow (1977). A Distant Moment: The Youth, Education, and Courtship of Elizabeth Cutter Morrow. Smith College. ISBN 0-87391-015-X.
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