Alice Duer Miller#The White Cliffs

Alice Duer Miller was born in Staten Island, New York, on July 28, 1874, into a wealthy and prominent family.{{Cite book|last=Bird|first=Christiane|title=American Women Writers: A Critical Guide from Colonial Times to the Present|publisher=St. James Press|year=2000|pages=139–140}}BiblioBazaar, LLC [https://books.google.com/books?id=wUDrgpf4hwMC&dq=Caroline+king+duer&pg=PA193 Prominent Families of New York] New York: BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009; {{ISBN|1-115-37230-0}}. P. 193 She grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey with her parents and two sisters. She was the daughter of James Gore King Duer and Elizabeth Wilson Meads.Burstyn, Joan N. Past and promise: lives of New Jersey women, Syracuse University Press, 1997; {{ISBN|0-8156-0418-1}}. Pg. 171-173 The family lost their fortune during the Baring Bank failure.{{Cite book |last=Coyne |first=Patrick |title=A Bio-Bibliography of Alice Duer Miller, American Writer, 1874-1942. |date=2010 |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |isbn=978-0-7734-2185-1 |location=Lewiston |oclc=823380750}}

Her mother Elizabeth Wilson Meads was the daughter of Orlando Meads of Albany, New York. Her great-grandfather was William Alexander Duer, president of Columbia College. Her great-great-grandfather was William Duer,Robert F. Jones, "The King of the Alley": William Duer; Politician, Entrepreneur, and Speculator, 1768–1799 (1992), p. 1; Jonathan J. Bean. "Duer, William"; American National Biography Online, February 2000. Older sources give Duer's year of birth as 1747. an American lawyer, developer, and speculator from New York City. He had served in the Continental Congress and the convention that framed the New York Constitution. In 1778, he signed the United States Articles of Confederation. Her great-great-great-grandfather was William Alexander, who claimed the disputed title of Earl of Stirling and was an American major-general during the American Revolutionary War.{{Cite book |last=Weeks |first=Lyman Horace |url=https://archive.org/details/prominentfamilie00week/page/193/mode/1up |title=Prominent families of New York; being an account in biographical form of individuals and families distinguished as representatives of the social, professional and civic life of New York city |year=1897|publisher=The Historical Company of New York |pages=193 |language=English |oclc=79390589}}

Miller was also a descendant of Senator Rufus King, who was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He also attended the Constitutional Convention and was one of the signatories of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.

Alice attended Barnard College in 1895, studying Mathematics and Astronomy and graduating Phi Beta Kappa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.franbecque.com/feminists-and-sororities/|title=Women's Suffrage and Sororities|date=June 20, 2019|accessdate=April 15, 2021}} She helped to pay for her studies by selling novels and short essays to Harper's and Scribner's magazines. Alice excelled as a student with her award-winning thesis "Dedekind's Theory of the Irrational Number". She and her sister Caroline jointly published a book of poems. Miller remained connected to Barnard throughout her life; she was elected as a trustee of Barnard College in 1922.

File:Alice Duer Miller.jpg

Alice wrote her entire life, but before she was a full-time writer, she taught at a girls school English composition and tutored Barnard College students in mathematics.{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Henry Wise |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b106273&view=1up |title=All our lives: Alice Duer Miller |publisher=Coward-McCann |year=1945}} Miller became known as a campaigner for women's suffrage and was an active member of the Algonquin Round Table and Heterodoxy. She published a series of satirical poems in the New York Tribune titled and later republished in the collection, Are Women People? These words became a catchphrase of the suffrage movement. Part of one poem reads:

"FATHER, what is a Legislature?

A representative body elected by the people of the state.

Are women people?

No, my son, criminals, lunatics and women are not people.

Do legislators legislate for nothing?

Oh, no; they are paid a salary.

By whom?

By the people.

Are women people?

Of course, my son, just as much as men are."{{cite journal |last1=Chapman |first1=Mary |title="Are Women People?" Alice Duer Miller's Poetry and Politics |journal=American Literary History |date=Spring 2006 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=59–85 |jstor=3568047 |doi=10.1093/alh/ajj003 |s2cid=145660307 }} She followed this collection with Women Are People! (1917).

As a novelist, she scored her first success with Come Out of the Kitchen in 1916. The story was made into a play and later the 1948 film Spring in Park Lane. She followed it with a series of other short novels, many of which were staged and (increasingly) made into films.{{cite journal |last1=Morey |first1=Anne |title=A New Eroticism or Merely a New Woman? Cecil B. DeMille's Adaptation of Alice Duer Miller's Manslaughter |journal=Framework |date=Fall 2010 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=388–403 |doi=10.1353/frm.2010.a402499 |s2cid=193210184 }}

Her novel in verse Forsaking All Others (1933) was about a tragic love affair; many consider it her greatest work. Miller was invited to write for Hollywood in 1921 by Samuel Goldwyn. Many of her stories became motion pictures, such as Are Parents People? (1925), Roberta (1935), and Irene (1940). She also became involved in a number of motion picture screenplays, including Wife vs. Secretary (1936). Her name appears in the very first issue of The New Yorker as an advisory editor.{{cite journal|title=Advisory editor|journal=New Yorker|date=February 21, 1925|volume=1|issue=1|page=1}} Throughout her life, she wrote successfully for a wide range of genres and produced forty-four books.

File:Manslaughter by Alice Duer Miller.jpg

In 1940, she wrote the verse novel The White Cliffs, about an American girl who coming to London as a tourist, meets and marries a young upper-class Englishman in the period just before World War I. The war begins and he goes to the front. He is killed just before the end of the War, leaving her with a young son. Her son is the heir to the family estate. Despite the pull of her own country and the impoverished condition of the estate, she decides to stay and live the traditional life of a member of the English upper class. The story concludes as World War II commences, and she worries that her son, like his father, will be killed fighting for the country he loves. The poem ends with the lines:

:...I am American bred

:I have seen much to hate here – much to forgive,

:But in a world in which England is finished and dead,

:I do not wish to live.

The poem was spectacularly successful on both sides of the Atlantic, selling nearly one million copies – an unheard of number for a book of verse. It was broadcast and recorded by British-American actress Lynn Fontanne (with a symphonic accompaniment), and the story was made into the 1944 film The White Cliffs of Dover.{{Cite web |title=The White Cliffs of Dover |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/499/the-white-cliffs-of-dover/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}

Once she graduated, she married Henry Wise Miller on October 5, 1899, at Grace Church Chapel in New York City.[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1899/10/06/101134888.pdf Duer-Miller Wedding."] The New York Times, October 6, 1899.{{Cite web|url=https://gracechurchnyc.org/|title=Grace Church in New York | Grace Church, an Episcopal Parish in the City of New York|access-date=April 15, 2021}} Henry asked Alice to marry him three days after their first meeting. He was a Harvard graduate, born in 1877, the son of Lt. Commander Jacob Miller.

File:Henry Mayer, The Awakening, 1915 Cornell CUL PJM 1176 01 - Restoration.jpg in 1915, showing women's suffrage moving east from the states in the west that had first adopted it]]

They moved to Costa Rica, where Henry Miller was gambling on land speculation and rubber cultivation. Henry and Alice had their first son Denning Duer Miller in this time period when they were moving back and forth between New York City and Costa Rica. Their investment failed and the family moved back to New York City and struggled for years financially. Alice served as the primary breadwinner for the first decade of the marriage until Henry became a Wall Street stockbroker, funded by his wife's money. The Millers lived somewhat separate lives, deliberately spending part of each year away from each other, and Powers comments that it is possible it was an open marriage. Henry Miller had a long affair with Daisy Bacon.Queen of the Pulps: The Reign of Daisy Bacon and Love Story Magazine, pp. 25–30. Powers, Laurie. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc. 2019 It is not known if Alice Miller was aware of her husband's infidelity, but she may have been. Powers suggests that her long poem Forsaking All Others (1931) is a veiled reference to her own marriage: the protagonist has an affair with a younger woman, but refuses to leave his wife for her.Powers (2019), pp. 94–95.

After a long illness, Alice Duer Miller died in 1942 and was interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Morristown, New Jersey.

Image:1920 Plymouth theatre BostonGlobe May10.png, 1920]]

• Poems (1896){{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/poems00millgoog|title=Poems|first1=Caroline King|last1=Duer|first2=Alice Duer|last2=Miller|date=April 15, 1896|publisher=New York, G. H. Richmond & co.|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/cu31924022366367|title=Poems|first1=Caroline|last1=Duer|first2=Alice Duer|last2=Miller|date=April 15, 1896|publisher=London, J. Lane; New York, G. H. Richmond|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/poemscaro00duerrich|title=Poems|first1=Caroline|last1=Duer|first2=Alice Duer|last2=Miller|date=April 15, 1896|publisher=New York, G. H. Richmond & co|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}
• Modern Obstacle (1903)
• Less Than Kin (1909){{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/lessthankin00compgoog|title=Less than kin|date=April 15, 1909|publisher=New York : Henry Holt and Company|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}
• The Blue Arch (1910)
• Things (1914){{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/things00millgoog|title=Things|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=April 15, 1914|publisher=New York, C. Scribner's sons|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}
• The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story (1914){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14835|title=The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story|first1=Alice Duer|last1=Miller|first2=Charlotte|last2=Harding|date=January 29, 2005|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• Are Women People? a book of rhymes for suffrage times (1915){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11689|title=Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=March 1, 2004|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}

• Come Out of the Kitchen (1916){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33145|title=Come Out of the Kitchen! A Romance|first1=Alice Duer|last1=Miller|first2=Paul Julian|last2=Meylan|date=July 13, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• Women Are People! (1917){{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/womenarepeople00mill|title=Women are people!|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=April 15, 1917|publisher=New York : George H. Doran company|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}
• The Sturdy Oak (1917), Alice Duer Miller et al.{{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8435|title=The Sturdy Oak: A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors|editor-first=Elizabeth Garver|editor-last=Jordan|date=July 1, 2005|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}

::A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors

• Ladies Must Live (1917){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12789|title=Ladies Must Live|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=June 30, 2004|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• The Happiest Time of Their Lives (1918){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11325|title=The Happiest Time of Their Lives|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=February 1, 2004|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• Wings in the Night (1918)
• The Charm School (1919){{Cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Alice Duer |last2=Milton |first2=Robert |date=April 15, 1922 |title=The charm school; a comedy in three acts |url=http://archive.org/details/charmschool00millrich |accessdate=April 15, 2021 |publisher=New York, S. French; [etc., etc |via=Internet Archive}}
• The Beauty and the Bolshevist (1920){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13146|title=The Beauty and the Bolshevist|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=August 9, 2004|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• Manslaughter (1921){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33985|title=Manslaughter|first1=Alice Duer|last1=Miller|first2=Frederic Rodrigo|last2=Gruger|date=September 23, 2010|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}
• Are Parents People? (1924){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64917|title=Are Parents People?|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=March 24, 2021|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}

• Priceless Pearl (1924){{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64192|title=The Priceless Pearl|first=Alice Duer|last=Miller|date=January 1, 2021|accessdate=April 15, 2021|via=Project Gutenberg}}

• The Reluctant Duchess (1925)
• The Springboard (1928)
• Welcome Home (1928)
• Forsaking All Others (1931)
• Gowns by Roberta (1933)
• Come Out of the Pantry (1934)
• The Rising Star (1935)
• And One Was Beautiful (1937)
• The White Cliffs (1940){{Cite web|url=https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=201410D5|title=The White Cliffs|website=www.fadedpage.com|accessdate=April 15, 2021}}

• Less Than Kin, directed by Donald Crisp (1918, based on the novel Less Than Kin)
• Come Out of the Kitchen, directed by John S. Robertson (1919, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Her First Elopement, directed by Sam Wood (1920, based on the novel Her First Elopement)
• Something Different, directed by Roy William Neill (1920, based on the novel Calderon's Prisoner)
• The Charm School, directed by James Cruze (1921, based on the novel The Charm School)
• Ladies Must Live, directed by George Loane Tucker (1921, based on the novel Ladies Must Live)
• Manslaughter, directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1922, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• Are Parents People?, directed by Malcolm St. Clair (1925, based on the story Are Parents People?)
• Someone to Love, directed by F. Richard Jones (1928, based on the novel The Charm School)
• Honey, directed by Wesley Ruggles (English-language version, 1930, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Salga de la cocina, directed by Jorge Infante (Spanish-language version, 1931, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Chérie, directed by Louis Mercanton (French-language version, 1931, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Every Woman Has Something, directed by Leo Mittler (German-language version, 1931, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• {{Ill|Kärlek måste vi ha|sv}}, directed by {{Ill|Gustaf Bergman (director)|sv|3=Gustaf Bergman (operasångare)|lt=Gustaf Bergman}} (Swedish-language version, 1931, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Manslaughter, directed by George Abbott (English-language version, 1930, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• The Incorrigible, directed by Leo Mittler (Spanish-language version, 1931, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• The Indictment, directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki (French-language version, 1931, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• Reckless Youth, directed by Leo Mittler (German-language version, 1931, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• {{Ill|Lika inför lagen|sv|3=Lika inför lagen (film, 1931)|lt=Lika inför lagen}}, directed by {{Ill|Gustaf Bergman (director)|sv|3=Gustaf Bergman (operasångare)|lt=Gustaf Bergman}} (Swedish-language version, 1931, based on the novel Manslaughter)
• The Princess and the Plumber, directed by Alexander Korda (1930, based on the story The Princess and the Plumber)
• Big Executive, directed by Erle C. Kenton (1933, based on the story Big Executive)
• Roberta, directed by William A. Seiter (1935, based on the novel Gowns By Roberta)
• Come Out of the Pantry, directed by Jack Raymond (UK, 1935, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Collegiate, directed by Ralph Murphy (1936, based on the novel The Charm School)
• The White Cliffs of Dover, directed by Clarence Brown (1944, based on the verse novel The White Cliffs)
• Spring in Park Lane, directed by Herbert Wilcox (UK, 1948, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Sabela de Cambados, directed by Ramón Torrado (Spain, 1949, based on the novel Come Out of the Kitchen)
• Lovely to Look At, directed by Mervyn LeRoy (1952, loosely based on the novel Gowns By Roberta)

• {{Ill|The Man with Two Mothers|it|3=L'uomo con due madri|lt=The Man with Two Mothers}}, directed by Paul Bern (1922)
• The Exquisite Sinner, directed by Josef von Sternberg (1926)
• The Last Waltz, directed by Arthur Robison (Germany, 1927)
• Rose Marie, directed by W. S. Van Dyke (1936)
• Wife vs. Secretary, directed by Clarence Brown (1936)
• And One Was Beautiful, directed by Robert B. Sinclair (1940)
• Irene, directed by Herbert Wilcox (1940)

Composer Edna Yeh{{Cite web|url=https://ednayeh.com/|title=Music by Edna Yeh|access-date=2021-08-04|website=ednayeh.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807162028/http://ednayeh.com/ |archive-date=August 7, 2018 }} set selections from Are Women People? to music. The work was commissioned and performed by Voci Women's Vocal Ensemble.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F72DOeUDeEo|title=Are Women People?|access-date=2021-08-04|website=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724015445/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F72DOeUDeEo |archive-date=July 24, 2021 }}

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{{commons category|Alice Duer Miller}}

{{Wikisource author}}

• {{gutenberg author|id=3939|name=Alice Duer Miller}}
• {{FadedPage|id=Miller, Alice Duer|name=Alice Duer Miller|author=yes}}
• {{Internet Archive author|sname=Alice Duer Miller|sopt=t}}
• {{Librivox author |id=13046}}
• [http://aliceduermiller.com Site dedicated to Alice Duer Miller's poems]

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Category:1874 births

Category:1942 deaths

Category:Barnard College alumni

Category:Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Morristown, New Jersey)

Category:American women poets

Category:The New Yorker people

Category:American people of Dutch descent

Category:American people of English descent

Category:American people of Scottish descent

Category:De Peyster family

Category:Livingston family

Category:Schuyler family

Category:Algonquin Round Table

Category:People from Weehawken, New Jersey

Category:Writers from Hudson County, New Jersey