Review: "American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprague, Civil War “Belle of the North” an

This is the non-fiction biography of Katherine Jane Chase Sprague, the daughter of the Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln’s first Secretary of the Treasury and later the 6th Chief Justice of the United States. Kate’s mother, Salmon’s second wife, died when she was five. Death was no stranger to Kate’s father and he lost his third and final wife after the birth of Kate’s half-sister. Because of her schooling and her father’s influence, Kate grew into a beautiful, self-confident woman who played his hostess and confident for the rest of his life. She was the reigning queen of Washington for many years and the nemesis of Mary Lincoln. She married William Sprague, the Governor of Rhode Island in 1863 and had four children, a boy and three girls. She remained a beauty throughout her life but her standing in the political arena began to change after her father’s death and her fairy tale life and eventually, marriage ended.

I was very excited when this book became available. I had gathered some information about Kate Sprague from the books I had read pertaining to Abraham Lincoln and his wife. All the information was about the rivalry between these two strong women but I wanted to know more about Kate, the person, and how did this young woman become so accomplished and accepted. This book did not disappoint! The author did a superb job bringing this amazing woman to life. His story was factual but very easy to read. Kate Chase Sprague was a passionate woman in all aspects of her life. This is the story of a remarkable woman who helped shape the political world of the late 1800s from behind the scenes.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies. The author masterfully tells Kate’s story in such a way that you want to keep turning pages. She was a woman that was ahead of her time and I can’t wait to learn more about her!