Sarah (Josepha) Hale

Writer and first female magazine editor, born in Newport, New Hampshire, USA. A widow from 1822, she wrote to support her family. In 1828 she was offered the editorship of the Ladies' Magazine, which continued until 1877 under the later title of Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book. Other notable works include the critically acclaimed Woman's Record: or Sketches of All Distinguished Women from ‘the Beginning’ till AD 1850 (1853–76), The Ladies' Wreath (1837), a collection of poetry by women, and a book of Poems for Our Children (1830), which contains ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’.

Sarah Josepha Hale (October 24, 1788 - April 30, 1879) was an American writer. Early on in her life, she was educated by her mother and her brother Horatio who taught her what he had learned at Dartmouth, and later on, Hale was an autodidact. From 1827 until 1836, Hale served as editor of Lady's Magazine and from 1837 until 1877, she served as an editor of Godey's Lady's Book. During this time, Hale wrote many novels and poems, publishing nearly fifty volumes of work, by the end of her life.

Hale is also well known as the author of the popular Nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb and for her successful appeal to President Abraham Lincoln for a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day.