Jeannette Covert Nolan
Jeannette Covert Nolan was a notable American novelist and biographer born in 1897 in Evansville, Indiana. She came from a politically active family, as her father served as the city's mayor and postmaster. After a brief stint as a newspaper reporter, Nolan married Val Francis Nolan, a lawyer, in 1917, which marked a shift in her focus towards writing. Her literary career took off in the 1930s with the publication of her first novel, *Barry Barton's Mystery*, which was well-received and marked the beginning of a prolific writing period that spanned over four decades. She gained significant recognition for her biographies aimed at young adults, notably winning the Indiana University Author's Day Award in 1959 for *Spy for the Confederacy: Rose O'Neal Greenhow*. Nolan was also involved in teaching writing at the Rocky Mountain Writer's Conference and was a member of the Women's Press Club of Indiana. Throughout her later years, she continued to produce works focused on history and biography for younger audiences, with her final book, *Getting to Know the Ohio River*, published in 1973. Nolan passed away in 1974 at the age of seventy-seven.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Jeannette Covert Nolan
Author
- Born: March 31, 1897
- Birthplace: Evansville, Indiana
- Died: October 12, 1974
- Place of death: Indianapolis, Indiana
Biography
Jeannette Covert Nolan, a twentieth century novelist and biographer, was born in 1897 in Evansville, Indiana, where her father, Charles Grant Covert, was the mayor and postmaster. After receiving her education, Nolan worked for two years as a newspaper reporter in Evansville. She left this position in 1917 in order to marry Val Francis Nolan, a lawyer and trustee of Indiana University.
Nolan began her writing career in the 1930’s. She sold her first novel, Barry Barton’s Mystery, to McBride Publishers in 1932. This well-received work was the first of numerous books she published during the next forty years, including many that were published abroad and were popular in England, India, and Portugal. Nolan is best known for her many biographies written for young adults. In 1959, she received the Indiana University Author’s Day Award for one of these books, Spy for the Confederacy: Rose O’Neal Greenhow.
Nolan was a writing instructor at the Rocky Mountain Writer’s Conference at the University of Colorado. She also was a member of the Women’s Press Club of Indiana. In her later years, Nolan continued to publish biographies and history books for young adults. Her last work, Getting to Know the Ohio River, was published in 1973. She died a year later at the age of seventy-seven.