Mildred Benson

Mildred Benson
Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (July 10, 1905 – May 28, 2002) was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest Nancy Drew mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under the Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name, Carolyn Keene, from 1929 to 1947 and contributed to 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mysteries, which were bestsellers.
Early life
Mildred Benson was born Mildred Augustine on July 10, 1905, in Ladora, Iowa, to Lillian and Dr. J. L. Augustine. Benson earned her degree in English from the University of Iowa in 1925 in just three years. She later returned to the university, and in 1927, became the first student there to earn a master's degree in journalism.
Writing career
Benson began her career selling short stories to magazines such as St. Nicholas and Lutheran Young Folks. During her college years, she worked at The Daily Iowan under editor George Gallup, and after receiving her undergraduate degree, for the society pages of the Clinton Herald.
In addition to her work with the Stratemeyer Syndicate, Benson also wrote many other series both in her name and under other pseudonyms from the 1930s to the 1950s. She ultimately wrote under a dozen names and published more than 130 books. In 1930 and 1931, Benson wrote the Ruth Darrow series. Taking flying lessons and flying her own aircraft, Ruth wins a national cross-country race, lands on an aircraft carrier, helps the Forest Service in fighting forest fires, and alerts the Coast guard of an immigrant-smuggling scheme. The series has been highlighted as unusual for its time, for both its generally authentic aeronautical lore, and the consistent and outspoken advocacy of women's abilities and mechanical competence.
From 1939 to 1947, Benson wrote the Penny Parker books which were published under her own name. Parker was the daughter of a newspaper editor who sought to become a reporter herself, often becoming involved in mysteries and dangerous situations. Parker was modeled after both the Nancy Drew character and Benson herself, but also gave Benson creative control of the character and her stories that she did not have for the Nancy Drew series. Benson would later cite Parker as her favorite of the characters she wrote, and considered her to be "a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is."
Benson began working at the Toledo Blade in 1944, and continued there for 58 years. After the death of her second husband in 1959, Benson focused on journalism. In the 1990s, she began writing a weekly column for the Toledo Blade titled "On the Go". She continued this and writing obituaries full-time until a few months before her death.
Stratemeyer Syndicate
In the spring of 1926, literary publisher Edward Stratemeyer wrote an ad looking for ghostwriters for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Benson applied with mentioning that she had plans to move to New York City where Stratemeyer's offices were located. At his request, Benson sent Stratemeyer some of her work with which he was impressed. While vacationing, she met Stratemeyer in New York in July and was offered to undertake the Ruth Fielding series. Under the pseudonym of Alice B. Emerson, Benson wrote Ruth Fielding and Her Great Scenario. Stratemeyer credited Benson's writing for reviving sales of the Fielding series.
Syndicate ghostwriters took the outlines supplied by Stratemeyer and wrote the novel based from an outline sent to them. After her initial meeting with Stratemeyer, Benson never saw him again; the work was done through correspondence. As with all Syndicate ghostwriters, under the terms of her contract, Benson was paid a flat fee of $125 to $250 for each Stratemeyer-outlined text, the equivalent of three months' pay for a newspaper reporter at that time. Ghostwriters signed away all rights to their texts and any claim to the Syndicate pseudonym used. Writers were, however, permitted to reveal that they wrote for the Syndicate. The Syndicate protected their pseudonyms to preserve series continuity as contributors to the series came and went.
In 1929, Stratemeyer developed a new series of detective novels with Benson in mind as the ghostwriter. He initially titled the heroine "Stella Strong", though upon selling the series to Grosset & Dunlap, they chose the alternative name "Nan Drew" and lengthened the name to Nancy Drew. While Stratemeyer supplied the outlines of the first four novels for Benson, she developed Nancy's spunky, plucky personality, and her daring, adventurous spirit. Benson sought to make the heroine an unusually liberated woman for her time. She later said about writing the initial books, "I always knew the series would be successful. I just never expected it to be the blockbuster that it has been. I'm glad that I had that much influence on people."
Shortly after finishing work on The Mystery at Lilac Inn, and only a few weeks after the launch of the series, Stratemeyer died. Under the terms of his will, all Syndicate ghostwriters, including Benson, were sent one-fifth of the equivalent of the royalties the Syndicate had received for each book series to which they had contributed. Stratemeyer's daughters, Harriet Adams and Edna Stratemeyer, initially attempted to sell the company as per his wishes, but were unable to find a buyer due to the Great Depression. They ultimately continued their father's work, and kept correspondence with Benson. Though Benson briefly quit the Nancy Drew series, she continued writing the Fielding books until the series was cancelled by its publisher in 1934. Upon returning to the Nancy Drew series in 1934, Adams and Stratemeyer were able to convince her to also write the Kay Tracey and Dana Girls series they had developed. The Dana Girls, which also used the Carolyn Keene pseudonym, had been written by The Hardy Boys ghostwriter Leslie McFarlane until he quit following the initial four books.
Benson continued writing for the Syndicate until the early 1950s, when the Syndicate underwent management changes. Beginning in 1959, Adams began revising and updating the Nancy Drew books written by Benson. Adams also made changes to Nancy's personality that had been crafted by Benson, making her less assertive and spunky. In 1980, Grosset & Dunlap called Benson as a witness during a lawsuit against the Syndicate for contracting new titles with their competitor Simon & Schuster. Benson's testimony revealed her identity to the public as a contributor to the Nancy Drew mystery stories. After the death of her sister in 1973, Adams claimed she had written the series since her father's passing; she had received considerable publicity for this especially since both The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew were adapted for television in the late 1970s. Since the revelation and subsequent research into Syndicate files, Benson has been acknowledged the creator of the original Nancy Drew along with Edward Stratemeyer. In 2001, Benson received a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her contributions to the Nancy Drew series.
Benson's favorite Nancy Drew story was The Hidden Staircase, the second mystery in the series. Whenever asked, she would gladly autograph copies of the Nancy Drew books, but only the titles she actually wrote.
Personal life
In 1928, she married Asa Wirt, a correspondent for the Associated Press. The couple had a daughter, Margaret "Peggy" Wirt, who was born in 1936. Asa Wirt died in 1947, following a long illness during which Mildred took care of him. In 1950, she married George A. Benson, her editor at the Toledo Blade newspaper. He died in 1959.
Benson was also known as a great adventurer. She made numerous trips to Central America, witnessing archaeological excavations and visiting Mayan sites. After her second husband's death, Benson obtained her pilot's license, and continued flying for several years.
Benson died in Toledo at the age of 96 on May 28, 2002.
Selected bibliography
Non-series
As Mildred A. Wirt or Mildred Benson:
Sky Racers, 1935
Carolina Castle, historical fiction within a frame story
Courageous Wings, 1937
Linda, 1940
Pirate Brig, historical fiction, published 1950 by Scribners but written earlier.
Dangerous Deadline, published by Dodd, Mead & Co. in 1950, a winner of the Boys' Life—Dodd, Mead Prize Competition, and reprinted by Scholastic Book Services.
Quarry Ghost 1959, UK edition, 1960, Kristie at College
A Mystery Book/Story for Girls series, Cupples & Leon, as Mildred A. Wirt
The Twin Ring Mystery, 1935
The Clue at Crooked Lane, 1936
The Hollow Wall Mystery, 1936
The Shadow Stone, 1937
The Wooden Shoe Mystery, 1938
Through the Moon-Gate Door, 1938
Ghost Gables, 1939
Painted Shield, 1939
Stratemeyer Syndicate Series
Nancy Drew (as Carolyn Keene)
1. The Secret of the Old Clock, 1930
2. The Hidden Staircase, 1930
3. The Bungalow Mystery, 1930
4. The Mystery at Lilac Inn, 1930
5. The Secret at Shadow Ranch, 1931
6. The Secret of Red Gate Farm, 1931
7. The Clue in the Diary, 1932
11. The Clue of the Broken Locket, 1934
12. The Message in the Hollow Oak, 1935
13. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm, 1936
14. The Whispering Statue, 1937
15. The Haunted Bridge, 1937
16. The Clue of the Tapping Heels, 1939
17. The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk, 1940
18. The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion, 1941
19. The Quest of the Missing Map, 1942
20. The Clue in the Jewel Box, 1943
21. The Secret in the Old Attic, 1944
22. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, 1945
23. The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, 1946
24. The Clue in the Old Album, 1947
25. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall, 1948
30. The Clue of the Velvet Mask, 1953
Kay Tracey (as Frances K. Judd)
3. The Mystery of the Swaying Curtains, 1935
4. The Shadow on the Door, 1935
5. The Six-Fingered Glove Mystery, 1936
6. The Green Cameo Mystery, 1936
7. The Secret at the Windmill, 1937
8. Beneath the Crimson Briar Bush, 1937
9. The Message in the Sand Dunes, 1938
10. The Murmuring Portrait, 1938
11. When the Key Turned, 1939
12. In the Sunken Garden, 1939
14. The Sacred Feather, 1940
Penny Parker (as Mildred A. Wirt)
1. Tale of the Witch Doll, 1939
2. The Vanishing Houseboat, 1939
3. Danger at the Drawbridge, 1940
4. Behind the Green Door, 1940
5. Clue of the Silken Ladder, 1941
6. The Secret Pact, 1941
7. The Clock Strikes Thirteen, 1942
8. The Wishing Well, 1942
9. Saboteurs on the River, 1943
10. Ghost Beyond the Gate, 1943
11. Hoofbeats on the Turnpike, 1944
12. Voice from the Cave, 1944
13. Guilt of the Brass Thieves, 1945
14. Signal in the Dark, 1946
15. Whispering Walls, 1946
16. Swamp Island, 1947
17. The Cry at Midnight, 1947
18. Unpublished Title, would have been 1948
Dana Girls (as Carolyn Keene)
5. The Secret at the Hermitage, 1936
6. The Circle of Footprints, 1937
7. The Mystery of the Locked Room, 1938
8. The Clue in the Cobweb, 1939
9. The Secret at the Gatehouse, 1940
10. The Mysterious Fireplace, 1941
11. The Clue of the Rusty Key, 1942
12. The Portrait in the Sand, 1943
14. The Clue in the Ivy, 1952
15. The Secret of the Jade Ring, 1953
16. Mystery at the Crossroads, 1954
Penny Nichols (as Joan Clark)
1. Penny Nichols Finds a Clue, 1937
2. Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key, 1936
3. Penny Nichols and the Black Imp, 1936
4. Penny Nichols and the Knob Hill Mystery, 1939
Connie Carl (as Joan Clark)
1. Connie Carl at Rainbow Ranch, 1939
2. Connie Carl on Skis, would have been 1939 (made into Penny Parker #4)
3. Untitled Third volume, would have been 1939
Madge Sterling (as Ann Wirt)
1. The Missing Formula, 1932
2. The Deserted Yacht, 1932
3. The Secret of the Sundial, 1932
Ruth Darrow (as Mildred A. Wirt)
1 Ruth Darrow in the Air Derby, 1930
2 Ruth Darrow in the Fire Patrol, 1930
3. Ruth Darrow in Yucatán, 1931
4. Ruth Darrow in the Coast Guard, 1931
Dan Carter Cub Scout (as Mildred A. Wirt)
1. Dan Carter Cub Scout, 1949
2. Dan Carter and the River Camp, 1949
3. Dan Carter and the Money Box, 1950
4. Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle, 1951
5. Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face, 1952
6. Dan Carter and the Cub Honor, 1953
Ruth Fielding (as Alice B. Emerson), a 30-book series
23. Ruth Fielding and her Great Scenario, 1927
24. Ruth Fielding at Cameron Hall, 1928
25. Ruth Fielding Clearing Her Name, 1929
26. Ruth Fielding in Talking Pictures, 1930
27. Ruth Fielding and Baby June, 1931
28. Ruth Fielding and Her Double, 1932
29. Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph, 1933
30. Ruth Fielding and Her Crowning Victory, 1934
Doris Force (as Julia K. Duncan), a four-book series
1. Doris Force at Locked Gates, 1931
2. Doris Force at Cloudy Cove, 1931
References
External links
Guide to the Mildred Wirt Collection. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
The Mildred Wirt Benson Collection (archived): digitized scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs and other artifacts donated by Benson to The University of Iowa Libraries.
The Mildred Wirt Benson Website: biography, book lists, photographs and more, at the NancyDrewSleuth.com archive.
Who was Carolyn Keene? An interview with Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghostwriter for the Nancy Drew mystery novels. (October 1999)
The case of the girl detective With the passing of Nancy Drew's first author, the mystery of the teenage sleuth's true identity only deepens. (June 2002)
The Storied Life of Millie Benson at WGTE-TV
Electronic editions
1905 births
2002 deaths
Agatha Award winners
American children's writers
American women children's writers
20th-century American women journalists
Deaths from lung cancer in Ohio
Edgar Award winners
Journalists from Ohio
People from Iowa County, Iowa
Stratemeyer Syndicate
University of Iowa alumni
Women mystery writers
Writers from Iowa
Writers from Toledo, Ohio
20th-century American journalists