Frances Hawks Cameron Burnett
A white woman posing in a Japanese-inspired ensemble
Frances Hawks Cameron Burnett posing in a Japanese-inspired historical ensemble, from a 1921 publication
BornFebruary 6, 1884
Selma, Alabama, US
DiedOctober 10, 1957
Alexandria, Louisiana, US
Occupation(s)Socialite, political hostess, writer

Frances Hawks Cameron Burnett (February 6, 1884[1] – October 10, 1957) was an American socialite and political hostess. While in Japan as a diplomat's wife, she helped to organize the Japan Humane Society and was active in supporting the Boy Scouts of Japan. She was also the first foreigner to take honors in an annual Japanese poetry competition, when she placed fourth in 1921.

Early life and education

Cameron was born in Selma, Alabama, the daughter of Francis H. Cameron and Eugenie LeGrand Weaver Cameron. Her father was a military officer.[2] His family, the Camerons, were prominent slaveholders in the antebellum American South,[3] and her kin on that side included judge Paul C. Cameron and Virginia governor William E. Cameron.[4] Her great-uncle was politician Francis L. Hawks, first president of Tulane University.[5]

Career

Burnett lived in Japan with her diplomat husband on various assignments from 1911 to 1929, including during and after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[5] Because she was recovering from spinal tuberculosis and needed physical rest, she focused on learning to speak, read and write in Japanese. [6] She made literary translations and wrote original poetry in Japanese.[7] She helped to organize the Junior Humane Society of Tokyo, and was president of the organization.[8] She was the first foreigner to take honors in the Annual Imperial Poetry Reading Competition, when she placed fourth in 1921 with her poem, "Before the Shrine of Ise at Dawn".[9] In 1927 she was appointed an honorary councilor of the Boy Scouts of Japan.[10]

Burnett decorated her Vermont summer home with Japanese art and furnishings, and wore Japanese clothing to entertain.[11] She spoke to American audiences about Japanese culture.[12] She continued writing poetry in Japanese into the 1930s, while her husband was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont[13] and commandant of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia. "The poetry of the land of cherry blossoms is as stimulating to me now as when I live[d] in the land of the pale, beautiful flowers," she explained in 1937. "Each week I write several poems to mail back to Japan."[5]

Publications

  • "The Spirit of Japanese Poetry" (1920)[14]
  • 日星帖 (1921)[15]
  • "Kindness to Animals in Japan" (1927)[16]

Personal life and legacy

Cameron married Charles Burnett, an American military attaché, in 1905.[3] Her husband died in 1939,[17] and she died in 1957, at the age of 73, in Alexandria, Louisiana. There is a significant collection of her papers in the Library of Congress.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Some sources give her birth year as 1881.
  2. ↑ "Mrs. Burnett, Former Raleigh Lady, Received High Compliments for New Year Poem". The News and Observer. 1912-04-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "They Met at Manassas; Richmond Girl Becomes Bride of An Army Officer". The Baltimore Sun. 1905-03-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Five O'Clock Tidings". The Spur. 27: 44. May 15, 1921.
  5. 1 2 3 Spalding, Doll (1937-01-17). "Thirty Years With the Rising Sun". Chattanooga Daily Times. p. 35. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Walker, Elizabeth (1926-10-28). "Wife of U.S. Army Officer Best Liked Visitor in Japan". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Mrs. Frances Burnett". Waterville Telegraph. 1925-06-12. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Society item". Evening star. 1924-04-26. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Society & Travel Notes" The Spur 27(May 15, 1921): 51.
  10. 1 2 Frances Hawks Cameron Burnett Papers, Library of Congress.
  11. ↑ "Japanese Hospitality Greets Interviewer at Fort Ethan Allen". Burlington Daily News. 1931-03-31. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-11-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "San Francisco". The Pacific Unitarian. 25 (6): 167. April 1916.
  13. ↑ "Mrs. Charles Burnett Gives Social Activities Reporter Intimate Glimpses of Japan". The Burlington Free Press. 1932-04-09. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Burnett, Frances Hawks Cameron (October 1920). "The Spirit of Japanese Poetry". Asian Review. 1 (7): 747.
  15. ↑ Burnett, Frances Hawks Cameron (1921). 日星帖. 國風書畵協會.
  16. ↑ Burnett, Frances Hawks (September 1927). "Kindness to Animals in Japan". Pan-Pacific Youth. 34 (4): 12.
  17. ↑ "Gen. Burnett, 61, Succumbs at Washington; Officer was Native of Knox County". The Knoxville Journal. 1939-11-30. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
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